The Book of Raphael
by TheRegionsLegends
Summary: Raphael d'Alcott was six years old when he won a competition which made him the Kanto League's chosen trainer. Trained by the League in a bid to prove Kanto can still produce top trainers, eight years later, his two Eevee by his side, Raphael is ready to face his journey. But will Rapahel be able to withstand the pressure of expectation and his debilitating need for perfection?
1. Chapter 1

"Citizens of Kanto!" Blue Oak's voice called out from the speakers, his face emblazoned on the television. The Champion smiled a charming smile. "We have an important announcement to make!"

The whole common room full of children turned to watch Blue speak, their interest piqued. A ginger-haired boy with icy blue eyes looked up, curious, abandoning the train set in his hands.

"This is a message for all future trainers!" Blue Oak continued. "The Kanto League's giving aspiring trainers twelve years and younger a chance to participate in a new program. In this program the League will personally train you to give you the tools, resources and training needed to take on the toughest trainers in the world! Think you're up to it? Then come and prove yourself in the tournament! Who knows, maybe one day you'll be as good as me!"

The announcement ended. Chatter burst in the room, all the children talking animatedly. A link to a website for information flashed up, prompting one adult to quickly copy it down. Another opened the door, intending to lead the children outside, anticipating their burst of energy. The ginger-haired boy's eyes were wide with wonder.

"So Blue's still parading around on TV, huh?" One of the adults murmured, shaking her head. "Does he truly have no shame?"

The ginger-haired boy was close enough to overhear two of the adults. In reflex, he continued to eavesdrop.

"Hush now, not in front of children," the man beside her warned. "There's never been any proof against him—"

The woman caught sight of Raphael, keenly listening in. With a smile, she shooed him away. "Raphael! What're you doing in here? Go on, join the others!"

Sheepish, Raphael smiled and ran to follow his friends outside. The announcement had made everyone excited. Every child in the orphanage prized hopes and dreams as some of their most precious possessions. Excited voices darted through the group as everyone chattered to their friends about exactly why this was the most awesome thing ever.

"This is the most awesome thing ever!"

"A chance to be one of the best trainers in the world… And it could be one of us!"

"Oh yeah, one of us so has to win!"

"I just want to meet Blue; he's my hero."

Raphael grinned at his friends. "This is the best thing that's ever happened to us!"

This entire event felt like it had been pulled from their wildest dreams. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something which seemed like it was from a story book. It wasn't long before the caretakers had made their decision and done their arduous paperwork. Their dreams were about to come true; the orphans would get to go to the competition.

The next few days were incredibly hectic for the orphans. Any spare time they had was dedicated to learning anything and everything they could about Pokémon; they all wanted to go, but only a group of ten could go. Aside from the fact that it was about training Pokémon, there was little public information about the competition, so the children all did their best to fill any and all gaps in their knowledge just in case.

"I'm never gonna learn all this type stuff!" Moaned one of Raphael's friends. "There's just so much of it! How do trainers keep track of all this stuff?"

Raphael smiled at him. He was trying to help him learn type-matchups, to no avail. "Don't worry; I'm sure you'll get it soon! Let's try again; what's Flying weak to?"

His friend scrunched up his face in thought. "Uh… Rock and… Fighting?"

Some had tried the idea of trying to lure wild Pokémon to the orphanage in order to try and learn more, but their attempts were clumsy at best. So far Raphael had been trying to learn from books on the subject, but found he was lagging behind and was struggling to improve on his base of knowledge; anything beyond the basics were in books too complex for him. He decided to ask the caretakers about their Pokémon to see if he could learn more from the Pokémon themselves.

Raphael was good friends with one of the caretakers, called Leslie, who had two Pokémon; a powerful and friendly Arcanine called Arren and a carefree Vaporeon called Blake. Leslie was one of the younger caretakers, with very dark skin and bubblegum pink hair. She was always smiling and always had some ingenious plan or solution to any trouble anyone got into, and was that one who gave out sweets on weekend and holidays. She knew Raphael well, and let him play with Arren and Blake before. She agreed to help him learn about the Pokémon.

Leslie released Arren and Blake in the garden. Raphael went up to greet the Pokémon, but Leslie held him back.

"Raph, you want to learn about Pokémon in battle, right?" She said seriously.

Raphael nodded.

Leslie smiled. "Go on, Arren; show him your ability."

With a yowl, Arren stamped his paw into the ground. Blake shuddered as something took ahold of her.

Raphael scrunched up his brow, trying to place it. "That was… Intimidate!"

Leslie smiled brightly. "Good! Do you know how it works?"

Raphael shook his head.

"It's all about aura," Leslie told him. "Each Pokémon has a different ability, a way in which they can activate their aura. Intimidate is one; it attacks the other Pokémon's aura and forces them to become weaker. That's how status moves work."

"What's aura?" Raphael asked. "The books talk about it, but they're all so boring and science-y."

Leslie grinned. "It's like life energy. Humans have it, too, but Pokémon have the strongest. All Pokémon abilities and moves use aura. Aura is typed, like Water, Fire and Grass, for example. Like, if Blake used a water type move on Arren, she'd be using her aura to it's fullest, so it'd be stronger move than if she used a normal type move, and because Arren's aura is fire type it would be very effective on him." Leslie looked sheepish. "That's all I know. It's really complicated stuff, and I never studied this myself.."

Raphael smiled. "That's okay! I already learned a lot! Thanks, Leslie!"

Leslie ruffled his hair. "But learning books and theory can only help you so much, kiddo. Best way to learn?" She gestured to Arren and Blake. "Interact with Pokémon. I never got into science because of how they think of Pokémon. You gotta remember that they're your equals, Raph. Your friends, your partners, your equals, but never your tools."

Raphael nodded, fire in his eyes. "Yeah! Friends, not tools!"

Raphael worked with Arren and Blake every day from then until the competition. He battled against Leslie, and even beat her with Blake. Leslie would always laugh, complimenting Raphael on his strategies, but would always give him tips and points to improve. He learnt to adapt to Blake and Arren's separate quirks, to work with their unique battle styles and personalities, and how to work with them as friends, come to an understanding and battle in sync. He got good enough that the caretakers decided to let him come to the competition, despite his young age.

As the sun rose on the day of the competition, the ten orphans who had been chosen boarded the minibus bound for Indigo Plateau. Four caretakers came along, one being Leslie. As the stadium loomed into view, Raphael felt a pit of anxiety grow in his stomach. The young boy sat restlessly in the seat of the minibus as it wended its way to the Indigo Plateau. All he could think was:

 _What if he failed?_

That thought kept eating away at his mind. If he screwed up and didn't win, then all his hopes and dreams would be crushed. The caretakers said they now had the chance to soar like a Spearow, but Raphael felt grounded, like a Piplup.

Involuntarily Raphael felt for the pendant around his neck. It was the only thing that he had left of his mother. Engraved upon it was the quote ' _Sic Parvis Magna._ '

Leslie had helped him look it up. It was a phrase from an old language called Latin which translated to 'Greatness from Small Beginnings.' Leslie said it meant even if you started from the bottom, you could get to the top

Raphael closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd win this and become the best trainer in the world.

The minibus came to a halt and Raphael jumped, eyes suddenly open. They'd arrived. Leslie and the other caretakers guided the children off the minibus, trying to keep order. Raphael grinned as he stepped off, breathing deeply. He was ready.

The orphans entered the Indigo Stadium, marvelling at the sight.

"Woah," Leslie murmured. "There's a lot of people here."

"Well, of course," another caretaker replied. "A lot of people must've signed up for it."

Raphael tried looking around, but he was far too short. The other orphans which had been chosen were all older than him, and were all taller than him. Seeing his struggle, Leslie grinned and lifted him up into her arms.

"Can you see better from here, kiddo?" She said, flashing bright white teeth.

"Mmhm!" Raphael nodded. He looked around.

"Oof! You're getting heavy!" Leslie arched her eyebrows at him, her voice mock-scolding. "Someone's been doing some growing!"

"Hehe!" Raphael smiled cheekily back at her. From this point, he could see much more of the stadium; it looked even more awesome than before. He couldn't wait to be an adult so he could be Leslie's height.

"Look over there!" Leslie pointed. Raphael followed the direction she was pointed and gasped.

"It's them, it's them!" Raphael cried excitedly. The other orphans and caretakers turned to look, lifting the shorter children so they could see too. There was a row of tables with sheets covering them, and behind it, a raised platform, official-looking people milled around, dressed in closed which screamed 'formal' and 'uncomfortable'. But between them, Raphael could spot people he'd only ever seen on TV before; the Elite Four.

"Man, Agatha looks even scarier in real life," Raphael said in awe.

"And Bruno looks even stronger in real life!" Leslie commented with a grin. "They all seem so much more real now, huh?"

"Yeah," Raphael said, nodding, not really paying attention. His eyes were scanning for that one trainer they were all looking for, the best trainer in the entire region, the one they all looked up to.

"There he is!" A little girl yelled not too far away from Raphael.

Everyone turned to watch as Blue Oak, the Kanto champion, came up onto the platform. Without even doing anything, he drew the attention of the entire stadium. All the official people stood up to greet him, and the Elite Four all acknowledged him in various ways.

"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, can I have your attention please!"

The booming voice filled the stadium from the loudspeakers, creating instant silence.

"To kick off the festivities, please welcome the current President of the League Competition Committee, Charles Goodshow!"

A tiny man with an incredibly long white beard walked up to the front of the platform, where there was a stand with a microphone. He was in casual clothes, contrasting with all the formal-looking people around him. Raphael wanted to laugh at him, and many other children looked like they were about to as well, but after seeing how much applause the man got, they managed to stay silent and clap along with the adults.

"Welcome, everyone!" Mr Goodshow said, his voice just reaching the microphone. "I would like to welcome you all to this special event. Among you, an incredible trainer is waiting to be discovered, and waiting to enter the Hall of Fame! Children, this is your chance to prove to the Kanto League that you are the one to become the next great Pokémon trainer. I wish you all the best of luck in this contest. Remember; even if you are not the one to win this competition, that's no reason to surrender your dreams! No matter what happens, you can all grow up to become incredible trainers!"

The crowd erupted with applause once more. Leslie gave Raphael an encouraging smile. "He's right, Raph," she said. "Even if you don't win, from what I've seen, you're gonna beat whoever they select anyway!"

Then Blue took the stage, and everyone fell silent.

"Thank you, Mr Goodshow," he began, a charming smile on his face. "Now for what you've all been waiting for; the details of the competition itself!" Blue gestured to the tables, and two people pulled off the sheets to reveal rows and rows of Poké Balls.

"The trainer we're looking for, among other things, is able to befriend and manage any Pokémon they're able to capture," Blue explained. "In each of these Poké Balls is a random Pokémon. You'll each choose one and train and work with the Pokémon inside. At the end of the week, we'll reconvene here at the decided time to hold a tournament to see which who of you is able to battle _alongside_ your Pokémon the best. We're looking for a true connection, the Pokémon completely obeying your orders and working _with_ you, not against you." Blue paused. "Pokémon aren't tools," he said, his eyes sweeping the audience. "They're your friends. We're not looking for a trainer who goes around catching strong Pokémon and forces them to battle for him. We're looking for a trainer who can befriend that powerful Pokémon, then capture them, then train them, and then battle with them, able to fulfill and surpass the Pokémon's potential." Blue smiled. "I think anyone who doesn't aim for that doesn't deserve the title of trainer."

The crowd erupted with applause.

Leslie gave Raphael a pointed look. "You got all that, kiddo? It's important stuff."

Raphael nodded.

"You each received a number with your registration," Blue called, quieting the crowd. "When that number is called, please come up to choose your Pokémon! The winner of the entire tournament gets to keep their Pokémon, as they have shown that they've built up a strong friendship and have earned the respect of their partner. Every other Pokémon will be returned to their homes. As Mr Goodshow said; best of luck!"

There was a buzz of excitement as all the competitors waited patiently for their number to be called. Leslie gave Raphael a knowing smile. Raphael smiled back, but he had Butterfree in his stomach; he wondered what Pokémon he'd get and whether or not he could befriend it.

"Number seventy!"

Leslie gave Raphael a wide smile. "That's you!"

Leslie put Raphael down and clasped his hand, walking him up. Raphael's heart started pounding. He told himself to stay calm, over and over again. But when he got up to the tables and was guided over to the one the Champion was manning, any hint of serenity disappeared.

"Hey there!" Blue said, wearing an odd-looking smile of his own. "What's your name?"

Raphael looked up at Leslie, tongue-tied. "R-R-Raphael," he stuttered. Leslie gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"The champion's asking, not me," she quipped. She smiled back at Blue. "Raph's number seventy."

Blue nodded at her. He knelt down to Raphael's level. "It's nice to meet you, Raphael." He held out his hand, and after a beat, Raphael shook it. Blue gave him a reassuring smile. "I just gotta ask; how old are you?"

"He's almost seven," Leslie said proudly. Raphael nodded, grinning.

Some of the people in the suits and the other competitors looked shocked. Blue lost his balance and fell from his crouch, having to stand up.

"Well, that make you the youngest person in the competition," Blue said, scratching his head. "There was no minimum age, I guess... " He smiled again. "So, which Pokémon would you like?"

Raphael looked up at Leslie, worried and nervous. Leslie knelt down to face him directly, her expression serious. "Don't look at me, Raph. This is your choice to make, and your Pokémon to befriend."

Raphael inched forward. "Umm…. that one." Raphael pointed at the Pokéball in the far left corner. In one swift motion Blue picked up and tossed the Pokéball into the boy's waiting hands.

"Why don't you see what's inside?" Blue suggested. Raphael nodded and threw the Pokéball against the ground, causing a large yellow rat to materialize. It narrowed its eyes at Raphael, clacking its teeth and swishing its tail. Raphael managed to recall it, as per Leslie's instructions.

"A Raticate." Blue nodded, making a sound of approval. "Cool; reminds me of my own." For a moment he seemed lost in thought. He shook himself and pulled his smile back on, offering a drawstring bag that seemed far too large for the little boy. "To help you train your new friend here, this bag is full of Pokémon treats! Use them wisely, okay? Good luck, Raphael!"

"T-Thank you, Mr Blue," Raphael said using his best manners, then ran back to Leslie's side. He couldn't believe he had just talked to Blue. He was so nice, too!

After the rest of the children got their Poké Balls, the caretakers decided they might as well head on home. As the minibus drove away, Raphael cradled his Poké Ball like a precious jewel. He couldn't wait to befriend the Raticate inside.

"Hehe… Nice Raticate..." Raphael gingerly reached out to the Raticate's head to pet it. The Raticate snapped at his hand and the boy recoiled with a little yelp.

Raphael had returned to the orphanage around half an hour ago and had taken Raticate and his bag of treats out on the playground. But no matter what the boy tried, Raticate refused to cooperate. Leslie stood behind him, silent. She wanted Raphael to do it himself.

"What's making you angry, Raticate?" Raphael asked plaintively. "I wanna help?

Raticate turned to the forests. The children were disallowed from venturing inside for fear they would be attacked by wild Pokémon. Raphael watched Raticate with wide eyes. "You… Miss the wild?"

Raticate nodded, scowling at him. It turned, ready to scamper off.

"I shouldn't stop you," Raphael said quietly. Confused, Raticate turned back to stare at him. Raphael smiled sadly back. "But can I ask a favour?"

Raticate gave him an irritated look, before turning away once more.

"We got stuck here together!" Raphael called out. "I can help you, you can help me! You wanna go home, but I haven't even found my place yet!"

Raticate, on the edge of the woods, turned back.

Raphael kept going, on a roll. "You're my only chance, Raticate. It's like you going back to the wild; I wanna go to my version of the wild too, but I can't do it without you. Get what I'm saying?" Raphael wasn't sure if the comparison worked. "I need you, Raticate. You help me live my life and make the best of it and I promise I'll help get you back home and I'll find a way to break your Poké Ball. Please, be kind, and help someone out."

Raticate wavered.

"Look," Leslie whispered. "Now that it's in contact with humans, it's animal-like responses have become more human."

Raticate came back slowly, distrusting.

"Here," Raphael said, holding out a treat. Raticate dashed forward and snatched it from Raphael's hands, nibbling on it. Raticate looked up to him and crossed his arms.

"Very human," Leslie whispered. "Now's your chance, kiddo."

Raphael leant forward, smiling. "Raticate, I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was! I wanna meet and see all the Pokémon in the world and make the greatest team ever! You wanna go home to the wild and live your life. I can't get my dream without you, and I promise I'll help you with yours. So how about it? Help me out, Raticate. Please."

Raticate seemed to think for a momen. Then it held out its paw. "Rat. Rat. Raticate."

Raphael pointed to the treat bag. "You want another?"

Raticate nodded. "Rat, rat," it said dreamily, pointed to the bag and then rubbing it belly.

Leslie laughed. "It must think they're tasty! Go on, kiddo give it another!"

Raphael gave Raticate another treat, and the little Pokémon scarfed it down instantly, licking crumbs from its paws. Then, it gave Raphael a nod.

"You'll help me?" Raphael said excitedly. "You really will!"

Raticate nodded. "Rat, rat!" It flexed its arms, mimicking the human gesture. "Rat, cate cate!" It pointed to Raph.

"I think he wants you to help make it strong," Leslie said.

"I will! I promise I will!" Raphael was overjoyed. He scooped up the Raticate in a crushing embrace. "Thank you so much!"

Raticate squeaked with surprise, but nuzzled against the boy's cheek, happy.

"I know we're gonna win this tournament," Raphael said, smiling wide. "You'll get really strong, and together I know we'll win! After all, _sic parvis magna._ "


	2. Chapter 2

The weekend had been a blur. A sequence of battles they called round robins. Wins after wins after wins after wins. But then he'd lost to a boy called Harry, and he'd been so demoralised he'd lost another few after that. It was all so overwhelming and confusing, but Leslie had pulled him through, each and every time, always there to offer an encouraging smile or a strong and steady hand to hold. During the competition, Raphael and Raticate had formed such a strong team. After the round robins, there'd been a 'knock-out tournament' with the people with the highest scores from the round robin. Leslie said that meant if he lost one battle, he was out for good.

He hadn't lost a single one. If he won this battle, he won the tournament.

"Competitors!" cried the announcer. "It is time for the final battle. These two trainers have battled, scraped and clawed their way to this bout, but only one of them will emerge as the ultimate victor. So allow me to introduce to competitors. Standing to my left, we have Henry!"

A spotlight from above shone down on Harry and the crowd started cheering, making the young boy blush. He put up his hand, as if to ask a question. "Uh, sir? It's, uh, Harry. Not Henry. Harry."

The announcer looked confused for a moment, then smiled vapidly and continued.

"This skilled battler has proved his mettle time and time again, and has shown that he has the guts to take this entire tournament! But can he and his lightning Buttefree take down their last opponent? Who is that opponent, I hear you ask! Well, standing to my left, we have Raphael!"

Another spotlight shone down on Raphael, and cheers followed him as well. He smiled shyly, glancing at Raticate.

"How surprising that the two youngest competitors stand before you in the final! Well, just like Harry, I am not surprised that Raphael is here, with Raticate taking down foe after foe with little difficulty. But can the resilient Raticate take down the skilled team that is Harry and Butterfree? This could be Raphael's chance for redemption, as Harry defeated him in their first battle in the round robin! But it could also be the battle to cement Harry's place as top trainer!"

With a flamboyant gesture, the announcer produced a flag. "We will now find out!"

Harry locked eyes with Raphael. "Kinda embarrassing, huh?" His voice was so low that over the cheers of the spectators and the Announcer's spiel only Raphael heard it.

Raphael shrugged, trying to replicate the casual ease of Harry and his low whisper. "I guess."

Harry gave a fleeting smile, but it quickly faded, replaced by a mask. "Good luck."

Raphael was slightly taken aback. "Y-you too."

The two walked to their spaces at either end of the battlefield.

"What do you think?" Bruno tried to be quiet as he leant over to Lorelei, but his whisper was the volume of someone else's normal voice.

Lorelei didn't answer for a moment. She surveyed the battlefield below with narrowed eyes, examining the two boys. "If chance doesn't interfere, the one on the left should win." Her voice was cold and uncaring. "He has great skills with understanding of tactics and analysis of the battlefield."

"Harry?" Bruno said, voice back to booming. "Nah, I think little Raphael's got it! He's got the passion for battle! His belief will pull him through, you'll see!"

Lorelei didn't respond.

"Personally I have to agree with Lorelei," Lance said slowly. "Belief isn't enough against careful calculations and dedicated training."

"And he has a better win rate," Lorelei commented. "If you follow the numbers, Harry is more likely to win."

"Numbers? Pah!" Bruno slammed his hand down on his thigh, leaning forward. "Forget the numbers! We've all won uphill battles before! That's what's proved that we're great trainers! Raphael will—"

"Bruno, will you stop your shouting? You're killing these old ears." Agatha's voice held such a sharpness it made Bruno suddenly quieten.

"Ah, you've arrived." Lance smiled thinly at Agatha. Lorelei didn't smile at all, but simply nodded. Agatha sat down beside her.

"Do you have an opinion yet, Agatha?" Lance questioned.

"I don't care," Agatha grumbled, shifting in her seat. "I still think it's all unnecessary."

"Come on!" Bruno pleaded. "Help me convince these two that Raphael's gonna win!"

Agatha gave him a death glare. Bruno shut up.

"Quiet down and watch," she said crankily. "The match is about to start."

The announcer turned to Harry and Raphael, grinning widely. "Competitors, are you ready?"

Raphael looked to Raticate, a smile on his face. "You'll win this. I know it!"

"Rat!" Raticate clacked its teeth with a rodent-like grin. "Rati!"

Raphael smiled. He pumped his fist. "We're ready!"

The other boy scowled, glancing at the Pokémon by his side. The Butterfree lounged back in the air, giggling and generally looking spaced-out.

The announcer smiled at him. "Harry, are you ready?"

The boy nodded uncomfortably. He turned to Butterfree. It gave a little chirp. "Yeah. I am."

"Okay, then!" The announcer smiled. He held out a flag. "Send out your Pokémon!"

Raphael smiled. "Let's go, Raticate!"

But Raticate was already there, leaping into the battlefield with a joyous cry. It hissed, showing its teeth, the old ferocity flaring again with full force.

"Butterfree?" Harry looked up at the Pokémon. It ignored him in favour of floating around his head dreamily. "Argh! Butterfree, come on, the battle's starting!"

In response, the Pokémon settled itself on the boy's head.

"Damn it!" Harry grabbed the Pokémon and pulled it of his head.

"Butterfree…" the Pokémon pouted dejectedly.

"Come on," Harry smiled. "One more battle. One more battle and then we'll have all the time in the world."

Butterfree pulled the Bug-Type version of a pout. After a moment, Harry released the Bug-Type, and with a flash of sudden speed it zipped on the battlefield. Raphael cringed. He'd underestimated the speed the first time, as Butterfree were supposed to be slower than Raticate, and that had been his undoing. His memory flashed back to that battle, where Butterfree had completely destroyed them. Raticate, too, seemed to remember, hissing violently as it watched Butterfree zip through the air, almost lazily, as though it could go much faster if it actually tried.

The announcer smiled. "Battle begin!"

Raphael opened his mouth, but Harry beat him to the punch.

"Gust, go!" Harry swept his arms in a cutting motion. Again, Raphael was caught off guard by the pure pragmatism in his voice; the strength, the hardness, there without emotion.

"Free!" The Pokémon flashed forward, zipping above Raticate. With a powerful beat, a lash of air smashed into Raticate, throwing it back.

"Rati!" Raticate flipped and landed on all fours with a hiss. It didn't seem shaken at all.

"Hyper Fang!" Raphael called, taking control of the situation before Harry could continue his offence. Raphael did have a strategy. Raphael had kept track of Harry's battling after his loss, and he had found the pattern. The only two times Harry had lost, the same thing had happened; he'd lost the initiative. If Harry lost the initiative, his attack crumbled and he toppled easily.

Raticate burst from the ground, its fangs elongated and sharpening with a gleam. Harry nodded and Butterfree dodged seamlessly, flashing upwards. The announcer wasn't kidding when he'd said 'lightning Butterfree'. It was fast, faster than a normal Butterfree, and more powerful too. It was as though…

"Raticate!" Raticate fumbled, landing awkwardly on the ground. Its teeth receded.

"Confusion!" This was the moment Harry had been waiting for, and he seized it with alacrity. Buttefree didn't hesitate, it's eyes glimmering with odd energy. Raticate was blown back by a pulse of that same eerie energy, surprisingly powerful.

"Rat!" Raticate screeched, smashing into the ground and tumbling over, barely able to regain footing.

"Gust!" Harry kept the pressure up. Butterfree prepared to attack, drawing it's wings back.

"Quick, Raticate, Sucker Punch!" Raphael called. Raticate leapt up, dark energy building up around him, giving him an unnatural burst of speed to overtake Butterfree

"Dodge it!"

Butterfree thrust its wings downwards and shot up. Raticate landed straight this time, but was breathing hard.

"Poison Powder!" Harry called. Butterfree swirled lazily over to Raticate, and suddenly dove, thrashing its wings violently. Huge clumps of purple spores burst into Raticate, and the Pokémon screeched. A sudden burst of light flared around Raticate as its ability activated.

Raphael hesitated. Harry knew that Raticate had the Guts ability. What was he thinking?

Harry looked onto the battlefield with a creased brow. His eyes were sharp, calculating.

Raphael suddenly realised what he was doing. Harry was counting on keeping the initiative— playing to his strengths. As long as Harry kept attacking, kept the initiative, something he needed to do anyway, Raticate wouldn't have a chance to get a hit in. And if Raticate couldn't get a hit in, the extra attacking power from Guts wouldn't matter— Raticate would faint before they could use it.

Butterfly twirled away, chuckling maniacally.

"What power! The announcer cried. "And keep in mind, spectators, these trainers were given equally low-level Pokémon! Butterfree and Harry must have trained hard for this moment!"

Raticate let out a shriek as Poison-type energy crackled around it. With horror, Raphael watched as its health was drained.

Raphael clenched his fists. Of course. Harry must have spent so much time training Butterfree that they'd grown beyond the level of the rest of their Pokémon; no wonder it was so fast. Each child had been given a Pokémon judged to be of the exact same skill level, so Harry had known he'd have a huge advantage if he trained his Pokémon beyond that skill level.

"Rati…" Raticate pushed itself up. Defiantly, it stood straight. "Raticaaate!"

"Yeah!" Raphael punched the air, determined. So what if Harry had trained? So had he. "Raticate, use Bite! Go for the wing!"

With a glower, Raticate leapt into the air. Butterfree, too absorbed in itself to react fast enough, screeched in agony as Raticate's powerful teeth snapped down on its wing.

"Yes!" Raphael pumped his fist. Harry had lost his bet.

"Oh my!" The announcer cried.

Harry's eyes took in the battlefield, calculating, assessing. He winced as Butterfree was slammed into the ground, eyebrows creased. In that one moment, he'd lost the initiative.

Raphael seized the opportunity. "Raticate, use—"

Raticate recoiled from Butterfree as the poison damage took hold, face locked in a grimace. Butterfree took the chance to get back in the air, but it stumbled in flight. Its wing looked severely damaged. Butterfree may've been fast and powerful, but it was a glass cannon.

"The tables seem to have turned!" The announcer cried out. "Does Raphael have a window of opportunity here?"

Harry gritted his teeth. "Confusion!"

As Butterfree prepared itself for the attack, Raphael snapped an order of his own. "Sucker Punch!"

Once more, Raticate leapt through the air, embroiled in Dark-type energy. But this time, Butterfree couldn't dodge fast enough.

"Butterfreeeee!" The Bug-type was slammed into the ground with a cry. Raticate stood over it, triumphant, breathing hard. Poison damage took ahold of it, but Raticate gritted its teeth and held on.

"You haven't won yet." Harry's gaze was set. "Butterfree, use Supersonic!"

"Dodge it!" Raphael cried. Raticate leapt away, but it was no use; the Supersonic hit.

"Raticate!" Raphael wanted to run over to it, but stopped himself.

"You aren't the only one with an ability." Harry crossed his arms. "I thought you'd know about that. Butterfree has Compound Eyes. Supersonic may have poor accuracy, but with Butterfree's ability it's much harder to avoid."

Raphael just stared helplessly as Raticate teetered on the spot, eyes glassy. It stumbled forward, as if trying to attack Butterfree, but tripped and landed awkwardly.

"It's over now!" Harry cried. "Butterfree, Confusion!"

Raticate pushed itself up, swiping at the air.

"Come on, Raticate!" Raphael's voice was filled with panic. "I know you're stronger than this! You have to dodge this attack!"

Raticate froze. It shook its head as though trying to clear it.

"You can do it, Raticate!"

Butterfree released its Confusion attack.

"Raticate!" Raphael cried desperately.

Raticate's eyes cleared. A cloud of dust erupted around Raticate as the Confusion attack pounded into the ground.

Raphael looked anxiously at the field, the dust settling slowly. He could hear the crackle of the Poison damage. Butterfree flew in jagged circles around the dust, notably much slower than before, a slight wobble in its flight.

The dust cleared.

The crowd burst into a roar, and the announcer cried out. "Would you look at that! Would you look at that, ladies and gentlemen! Raticate has dodged the attack!"

"Butterfree!" The Bug-Type recoiled, and Harry's eyes widened.

Panting, Raticate looked up at Raphael, and smiled.

"Yeah!" Raphael jumped up in jubilation. "I knew you could do it! Quick Attack!"

Raticate, determination in its gaze, burst up from the ground, enveloped in white light. It barrelled into Butterfree, knocking the Pokémon back.

"Put everything into this one! Use Bite!" Raphael cried. Raticate hit the ground and jumped straight back up. Butterfree tried to duck away but Raticate caught it in its jaws. With a final screech, Butterfree was brought down to the ground.

There was a moment of complete silence.

"Butterfree is unable to battle!"

Raphael stared, wide-eyed, as the announcer's words faded to the background. He had won. He and Raticate had actually won.

Raticate and Raphael ran towards one another, overjoyed. The Pokémon leapt into the four year old's arms, the two embracing.

"Thank you so much, Raticate," Raphael whispered. He buried his face in the small Pokémon's fur. "Thank you."

"Rati!" The small Pokémon wiggled deeper into Raphael's arms. Raphael giggled, feeling the warmth soaking into him.

He looked over to see Harry, kneeling beside Butterfree. His balled fists were pushing into his knees, and his head was bowed. He appeared to be shaking. A tear fell on the ground in front of him.

Raphael began to walk over. In that moment, Raphael was conscious of them both; Harry looked like a darker version of Raphael. Darker hair, darker eyes, sallow skin, scrawnier and messier.

As Raphael approached, Harry reached out to Butterfree, cradling the Pokémon in his arms. Slowly, it awoke, sitting up.

"We both failed." Harry's voice cracked. "You were too arrogant to dodge that Bite."

Butterfree whimpered in his arms. "Butterfree…"

"It's my fault too," Harry bit his lip. "I should have gotten you to use Supersonic way earlier. I don't know what I was thinking..."

"Butter, butterfree, free free…" Butterfree looked dejected.

Harry's eyes were unfocused. "Maybe I trained you wrong…"

"Harry?" Raphael broke in quietly.

Harry's head snapped up. He cradled Butterfree protectively. "What do you want?"

Raphael was startled by the ferocity in the other boy's voice. "I-I just wanted to say thanks for the battle—"

Harry stood up and turned away from him. "Don't talk to me."

Raphael was at loss. Raticate snuffled in his arms, confused. "But I—"

"Shut up!" Harry hissed. "Because of you… Because of you... Everything's gone wrong!"

Butterfree could only curl up in Harry's arms, antennae drooping. It's eyes were filled with tears.

Raphael was confused. Why would Butterfree be sad…? It got to go home. It must've really hated losing.

He was about to ask when the announcer grabbed his wrist and held it up. "Our winner, ladies and gentlemen! Our winner!"

Raphael smiled, flushing proudly. The announcer gave Raticate a Pecha berry, and the Pokémon gnawed on it happily.

Raphael saw Harry turn tail and run from the battlefield. He felt a stab of anxiety, but it was replaced with the joy of winning.

"We worked hard, Raticate," Raphael said, leaning down to the little Pokémon. "I'm proud to have worked with you."

"Rati! Cate, cate, rat!" The little rat smiled up at him, equally proud to have battled and won.

Raphael glanced down at Raticate, smiling widely. "Come on," he said quietly. "Let's get out of this crowd.

Leslie rushed up to Raphael, shoving through the crowd, her face bursting with a smile of pure joy. "Raph! You won! Arceus, Raph, you won!" She scooped both boy and rat in a crushing embrace, her eyes filled with tears of joy. "I knew you could do it, kiddo," she whispered.

"Can't... breath…" Raphael complained. Leslie's grip loosened, and he hugged her back. With a coo, Raticate snuggled up between them, content.

"Let's go release Raticate," Raphael said quietly. Leslie nodded, but refused to set the boy down, carrying him from the stadium in her arms. Leslie spoke to some adults on the way, and when they got outside, no one else followed.

It was dark, almost-nighttime. Once could hear the rhythmic chirping of crickets in the background. Leslie set the boy and his friend down, walking them partway into the forest, holding on tight to Raphael's hand. When they came to a halt, Leslie brought out Arren and asked him to make some light.

"Go on," Leslie said quietly. "If you want, I don't have to watch."

"Stay," Raphael insisted, and Raticate nodded. Leslie smiled, standing beside them.

Raphael turned back to Raticate. He felt both warm and happy, yet sad. "So, this is it," he said awkwardly, swinging his arms. "Raticate… I'm never gonna forget everything you've done for me," he said quietly. "Thank you. For everything."

Raticate grinned. "Rati, raticate!"

Raphael laughed. "Yeah, you're awesome, being all other-ish like that!"

"He means selfless," Leslie corrected with a grin. "Opposite of self-ish."

"Yeah, that!" Raphael said with a smile. "Selfless! I wanna be just like you, Raticate; selfless. Selfless and, and a great battler, and, and, and awesome and strong and—" Raphael blew out a breath. "I could go on forever," he said with a sad smile. "But it still won't be enough to stay how much you've done for me."

Raticate smiled, nuzzling Raphael's ankle.

As Raphael released Raticate and watched the little Pokémon run off into the dark forest, the little boy couldn't help but have tears in his eyes. He hugged Leslie and Arran, and the two hugged him back.

"Come on," Leslie said, mustering a smile. "Your new life's waiting."


	3. Chapter 3

"Over the last two weeks since he was chosen, I have extensively tested Raphael's mental ability, in order to fully gauge how to tailor his training in order to gain optimum results." Lorelei set her sheets of paper against the table surface and tapped them a few times to straighten them.

The Elite Four, Mr Goodshow, Blue and Raphael were sitting on the top floor of the Kanto League's tower, in Mr. Goodshow's office. It was a room fit for any wealthy leader, with plush blue carpets and a large desk made of exotic wood. In the center of the room was a grey table more suited to business than luxury, and around it sat the Elite Four and their two protégés, each with a stack of paper thicker than Raphael's hand.

"Using my own five-category model, I have thoroughly tested Raphael's intelligence and have since compiled this report to demonstrate my findings." Lorelei continued.

"The five categories tested were speed, memory, attention, flexibility and problem solving. Of the tests performed, I have come to the conclusion that attention and memory are Raphael's strongest asset at this moment. His attention to detail and ability to recall even the smallest changes to scenarios are incredibly impressive for his age. When asked to recite the type chart, not only did Raphael do so by heart but he also listed each type's strengths and weaknesses. Both of these traits are extremely important for a trainer, and seeing Raphael demonstrate such incredible feats from this early age gives me confidence for his progress."

Raphael beamed slightly. Lorelei always scared him a little with her cold and distant attitude, but when she complimented him, he knew he had earned it.

"Raphael's weakest asset is his problem solving abilities. When confronted with even simple puzzles that required some amount of lateral thinking, Raphael repeatedly asked for help or the answer. While not uncommon for his age to struggle with such tests, if Raphael is to be a representative of the League he must end up in the highest percentiles of intelligence and so I would place heavy emphasis on problem solving questions in the future. In conclusion, Raphael has managed to dissuade some of my initial doubts about his prospects as our trainer with impressive scores in various tests, but I remain cautious considering his age and nonoptimal intelligence.

"This concludes my synopsis. For any additional information I have included all test scores and percentiles with this report."

Blue looked over at the report quickly before smiling at Raphael. "I have to say well done, Raphael," Blue said warmly. "It seems that you weren't just lucky in the tournament."

Raphael blushed under his mentor's compliment.

"I agree with Blue, an excellent start! I know you struggled with those puzzles, but I'm sure you can get the hang of them with some practice." Mr Goodshow said.

"I will, Mr Goodshow." Raphael replied cheerily.

"Now for the physical report. Bruno?" Blue asked.

"Oh, right… one second." Bruno said, before clearing his throat and quickly scanning his papers. He then set them down and said, "Well, the doctors say he's a healthy kid. I'm sure he'll be fine."

After a brief moment of silence, Blue snickered. "That's it? That's your report?"

"Yeah," Bruno replied. "I mean, if the doctors say he's fine, he's fine, right?"

"Alright, alright," Blue said. "That'll do."

"In any event, this does give us a good picture of Raphael." Mr Goodshow said. "Now, onto different matters. Raphael, as you are an orphan, the League has taken personal responsibility for you, which includes your education. With that in mind, we have decided to enroll you at Ashford Academy."

"What's Ashford Academy?" Raphael asked.

"Only one of the most prestigious schools in the world!" Mr. Goodshow explained with a growing smile. "Some of the most influential people in the world today graduated from Ashford— myself included. Like us, the school sees a great deal of potential in you and wants to help you flourish in the best education environment possible."

Raphael's eyes widened, barely three weeks ago he was wondering whether he would go to a good school, now here he was, heading to one of the best!

"We're also continuing our efforts to find you a suitable family." Mr Goodshow continued. "We are interviewing and screening potential parents to take care of you." Mr Goodshow reached over and took Raphael's hands in his. "I know this is all incredibly big and scary, Raphael, but from what we all saw in the tournament, we know you can succeed. Just promise me that no matter what happens, you won't give up. It will get tough but we wouldn't be doing this if we didn't believe in you. Do you promise, Raphael?"

Raphael felt tears in his eyes. He blinked them away and gave Goodshow his most determined smile. "I won't give up, Mr Goodshow. I promise."

"Atta boy!" Blue said proudly. "Right now, the grown-ups have to talk about other stuff. Why don't you go back to your room and relax for a while?"

"I will. Thanks, everyone!" Raphael stood, scampering from the room. After Raphael's footsteps were gone, Blue looked back to Mr Goodshow.

"Do you truly believe in what you just said to Raphael?" He asked, incredulous.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe in him," Goodshow replied. "I can see the determination in his eyes. There's potential for greatness there; he won't let us down."

Lance nodded. "I believe he has great potential, yes. But even with that potential, Raphael has a very tall mountain to climb. To reach the expectations of Ashford Academy now, and then as a trainer, the League... It's going to be excruciatingly difficult." Lance looked deep in thought. "It goes well above and beyond what normal trainers are expected to achieve. While I agree that he does have the right attitude for this, I'm not sure that he can."

Lorelei adjusted her glasses. "Hmph. The numbers indicate that he has incredible potential. With dedication and training he will likely pull through. He has an approximate 82% chance of succeeding. But he is young, and will grow and change significantly over the years. Further analysis is needed."

"For now, let Raphael find his feet and let him work." Goodshow smiled, standing. "It will be years before he becomes a trainer. For now, we should focus our efforts his education and tailor his needs accordingly. Let the boy prove his worth."

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

[PAGE BREAK]

Ashford Academy, was, in one word, big. The only thing that registered to the young Raphael as he gawped up at the buildings was how large they were.

Lorelei had said the beautiful architecture was traditional Kalosian, and the insides were furnished with utmost care and attention to detail. The school and the students had money, and as such, it was a grand and majestic place.

But when Goodshow gave Raphael a smile and asked him what he thought, the only thing Raphael managed was, "It's big."

Goodshow clapped him on the shoulder and began to lead him inside. Raphael clutched at his pendant automatically, trying to calm himself down. He couldn't stuff this up; he had to succeed. He had to prove to the League that he could do this, young or not. Goodshow lead Raphael up to line at reception for his class assignment. The letter they'd received from the school detailed that he would get a class assignment, then head to a mandatory welcome assembly, and then start school.

As they waited in line, Raphael pulled at his collar and uniform. It made him feel stuffy and pompous, and as though he'd been stuffed into the uniform without any care for how he actually fit inside. Raphael looked around at the other starting students, most about his age or slightly older; there were a few who were much older, looking tall and gangly and awkward. They all stood with their parents, sneaking confused or envious glances at Goodshow.

When they finally got to the front of the line, the receptionist couldn't see Raphael or Goodshow and began speaking to the people behind them in the queue. The mother politely pointed out Goodshow and Raphael's presence, and the receptionist had to lean over her desk to talk to them.

"Student name and name of parent or guardian?" She asked.

"Raphael Bennett," Goodshow replied. "His guardian is unofficially the League."

The receptionist jumped, her glasses slipping sideways. She recovered, blinking at Goodshow. "Oh! Yes! You! I'm so sorry; I should have realised the second I saw you!" Red flushed her cheeks. "Master Bennett been assigned Class A. Here's his timetable and school diary, complete with a map of the school; the diary is for recording important dates and homework so you can learn to manage your time." The receptionist smiled brightly, turning to Raphael and gentling her voice. "Please follow Miss Windsor; she is Class A's assigned teacher, and she'll take care of you while you're here."

Raphael glanced at Goodshow, frightened and confused with the flood of information. Goodshow pressed the timetable and diary into Raphael's hands. "Don't worry, Raphael; you can handle this. Just follow Miss Windsor and you'll be fine. I have to go; good luck." He grinned, clapping the boy on the shoulder. "Now run along! We're keeping all these other children waiting."

Raphael made himself turn around and walk stiffly to the person the receptionist had called Miss Windsor. She looked almost like Leslie, except her skin was a shade lighter and her hair was bright lilac. She smiled brightly at him, but it felt dim in comparison to Leslie's. Raphael felt something dull hit his heart, but he made himself smile back.

"Welcome to Ashford!" She said brightly. Her voice smashed any semblance of Leslie remaining, a shade higher and a few shades more posh. "My name is Miss Windsor, and I am the teacher and manager for Class A. If you have any problems, please do not hesitate to come to me." She gestured onwards, through an archway. "You are the last of Class A to come in; come join the rest of your classmates to wait for the assembly to begin."

Raphael nodded and followed, but Leslie refused to leave his thoughts. He found himself wishing violently that she was here instead of Miss Windsor; the lilac-haired teacher felt like a cardboard cutout in comparison. They went in to meet the rest of Raphael's class, all his age, and waited for a few minutes for the rest of the students to file in and for the assembly to begin. All of Raphael's classmates were already socialising and networking, as if they'd been trained for this since they could crawl, looking relaxed and at ease. Only a few looked nervous or excited; Raphael just felt queasy in comparison, becoming painfully aware of how scruffily his uniform hung on him and how prim and tidy the others looked.

Finally, Miss Windsor began to usher the children into the assembly hall. Most fell into order easily, but Raphael felt twitchy and fiddly. As they sat down in the massive hall, Raphael suddenly found the edging on his blazer fascinating.

An old, white-haired woman in a purple suit took to the podium, leaning forward slightly towards the microphone. "A good morning and warm welcome to the new students of Ashford Academy. It is my honour to introduce you to the headmistress; please welcome Miss d'Alcott."

A young brunette woman in a trim grey suit came up to the podium to a series of faint and sporadic claps, the crowd unsure and hesitant. As she looked up to the student body, Raphael's attention was suddenly caught. He was enthralled by those all encompassing jade-green eyes, glinting at the audience. They were all the colour she needed. Something in her gaze was so commanding and yet so reassuring that Raphael felt as though it would be wrong to look away.

"Good morning," she began. "And welcome to Ashford Academy. You are now officially students at one of the most elite schools in all the regions. This academy has been the alma mater of famed world leaders, successful business magnates, acclaimed scientists, celebrated artists within all disciplines and even world-class athletes." She gestured at the walls of the hall, upon which skillful paintings and professionally done photographs hung, framed.

The headmistress continued. "Colloquially, this is referred to as 'Ashford's Hall of Fame.' They are some of our most distinguished alumni, the students who have risen up to do great things." Headmistress d'Alcott smiled encouragingly. "It may seem daunting to uphold this legacy. But this school is all about reaching towards the potential in each and every one of you, and helping you surpass it. Who knows? Perhaps you might be the one to have your portrait here on our wall. However." The headmistress paused. "The most important thing is that you all enjoy your time here at Ashford and do your absolute best." She gave a brilliant smile. "Thank you, and good luck!"

The students clapped as the headmistress walked away from the podium. As Raphael was ushered out alongside the rest of his class, he felt even more afraid. World-class athletes? Successful businessmen? Was a portrait on Ashford's wall alongside leading politicians what the League _expected_ of him?

The school day was a blur, Raphael being late to almost all his classes due to the confusing map. Miss Windsor continually assured him not to worry, but Raphael felt like he was caught up in a tornado. In classes, there were students who'd memorised up to the thirteenth times table and students who could spell words like 'elucidate' and who'd already read advanced books and could recite the current political cabinet in Kanto. Raphael didn't even know such a cabinet existed. He'd thought cabinets were for storing fancy stuff you'd never use. When he'd asked about that in class, he'd gotten dirty looks. But class discussion did reveal one thing; most of the others were normal. They weren't all especially smart; they'd just rote-learned everything to a ridiculous degree so they'd have a head start. And no matter how snobbish they seemed to be, it was impossible to hate them; they were all so nice and social and well-mannered, except for the bouts of childish behavior. It was paradoxical. There, another word they could spell and that Raphael had never heard before.

By the time he got to the end of the day, Raphael had gotten on the good sides of most of his teachers, made two tentative friends, but at least five tentative enemies from that cabinet comment. Raphael had managed to keep up in the classes, and he'd been by far the most knowledgeable in the class about Pokémon. The others all tried to recite from textbooks, only for Raphael to point out that put in practice, some of them weren't viable. He'd gotten some respect, at least.

Raphael was once more rather lost, searching for Class A's assigned room for end-of-day homeroom, when he literally bumped into the headmistress.

"Ahh!" Raphael recoiled. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

The headmistress, unbalanced for a moment, smiled sheepishly back at him. "It's all right. I should have been watching where I was going."

Raphael cringed. "I'm sorry…" He mumbled again.

The headmistress laughed. "Really, it's all right!" She gave him another look over. "Oh! Are you Raphael Bennett?"

Raphael nodded.

The headmistress beamed. "I've heard all about you from the League. Quite the talented little boy, eh?"

Raphael blushed, nodding shyly. "I guess…"

The headmistress patted his shoulder, caring and motherly. "Don't worry so much, Raphael; from what I've heard, you'll be able to handle Ashford. I promise to do everything I can to help, okay?" She smiled. "If you ever get stressed or worried, I'll do what I can to help." With that, she began to walk off. "Oh, the League told me; I hope the search for a new family goes well!"

Raphael nodded after her. "Y-y-yeah," he stuttered. "Th-thanks, headmistress."

With a final nod, Miss d'Alcott turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

When Raphael returned to the League building after school, he was struck by the silence. Going to his room, he found a note pinned on the door.

 _In an important meeting discussing future prospects. No afternoon training today. Do not disturb us._

 _Lorelei_

Raphael grinned, relaxing. Today had been a tiring day, and he could certainly do with a break. Looking around, Raphael wondered what to do with the his newfound free time for a moment, but then the obvious idea struck him: exploring. He still hadn't seen all the rooms around the place, and with the Elite Four, Blue and Goodshow all in a meeting, now was a perfect time.

Raphael set off on a high at the prospect of adventure, but quickly diffused after being met with nothing but locked doors and boring meeting rooms. He ended up wandering to the room the League was currently having a meeting in.

Outside, however, sat a boy. He looked to be roughly Raphael's age, perhaps a bit older. with pale skin, glossy pitch-black hair, and grey eyes like a cloudy sky. He saw Raphael was coming and gave the other boy a small, awkward smile.

Raphael smiled back, sitting next to him. The boy shifted in his chair, putting space between the two.

"Are you Raphael?" The boy asked in a whisper, not wanting to interrupt the meeting in the other room. Raphael nodded, and the boy nodded back. "My name is Veritus. It's nice to meet you."

Raphael smiled back. "It's nice to meet you, too, Veritus!"

The pale boy shifted away from him even further. Raphael frowned. "Something wrong?"

"You're loud," the other boy said quietly. "Please just… I'm sorry, just please don't come near me."

"Loud?" Raphael asked, puzzled. His voice had been at a whisper the entire time.

Veritus flinched, shaking his head. "Not your voice." He tapped his head.

Raphael stared at him. "Huh?"

Veritus stared back. "Your thoughts. You're projecting them. They're really, really loud."

"Thoughts…?" Raphael was confused. What did he mean, loud thoughts?

"I'm a Psychic," the boy explained. "You… You know… Thoughts and stuff?"

"A Psychic?" Raphael was puzzled further. "How can you be Psychic? You're a human, not a Pokémon!"

Veritus went from an incredulous stare to downright fright. "You... don't know?!" He stared at Raphael, tears welling in his eyes. His breathing shuddered, his expression twitching. "How can you not know?!"

"Hey, I'm sorry!" Raphael exclaimed. He tried to put a comforting hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"GET AWAY!" Veritus screamed, putting his arms up like a barrier between him and Raphael. Raphael felt like he had been hit by a car. His body launched into the air, twisting around to crash awkwardly into the wall where a sickening _crack_ resounded through the hallway. He crumbled to the ground, clutching his arm and screaming in pain. Suddenly the door burst open, Bruno leading the charge and the other League members close behind.

With the authority of a war general, Mr Goodshow shouted, "Call for an ambulance! We have no time to waste!

A few hours later, Raphael was in a hospital room with a heavily bandaged arm. His expression was fixed in a look of terror. Those moments on replay in his head like a broken record.

How was that possible? A kid, a kid his age, only had to put his arms up to break an arm? That wasn't a kid. That was borderline monstrous. It all felt so familiar, like something he should have expected, something that had happened before. Why would this be something normal, Raphael could not fathom.

The door to the room opened with a click. Agatha of the Elite Four walked in, stooped slightly, her expression stormy. When she spoke, she sounded like a thunderstorm. "Are you feeling better?"

Her harsh voice juxtaposed with her words. Raphael nodded nervously.

Agatha sighed, sinking into a chair beside the bed Raphael lay in. "Raphael, Veritus did not mean to hurt you." Her voice had an engineered gentleness to it, like she was forcing herself to be kind. "The attack was an accident."

Raphael didn't respond.

Agatha sighed, shifting. "In that old home of yours and in your new, fancy private school, did anyone ever teach you about Psychics?"

Raphael shook his head.

"Of course they didn't…" Agatha sighed again. "Listen closely. Veritus is young and cannot control his gift, or his curse. He didn't hurt you on purpose. His powers reacted of their own accord, because of instinct, not because he wanted to hurt you. That loss of control is what happens when you make Psychics too emotional. You understand, Raphael?" She leant forward. For the first time, her expression held a hunt of vulnerability. "He didn't want to hurt you."

"Why'd you care?" Raphael croaked slowly. "You've never cared about me before… Why now...?"

Agatha shook her head. "I care that you heal and that your mind remains unclouded. For the record, I am not the one who wanted you two to meet. I was in favour of you being exposed to Psychics only when you were old enough to understand what they have to go through." She shook her head with a sour laugh. "And once again, I am proven right…" She affixed Raphael with a piercing stare. "Right now you are an injured and angry four year old and no one will blame you for what happened, nor can you understand the depth of this situation. There is just one thing that I ask of you; do not let this cloud your judgement. Do not paint broad strokes about many people because of one incident. It will cost you greatly in your future. Do you understand that, boy?"

Raphael slowly nodded his head.

Agatha smiled — _actually_ smiled. "Good. Get well soon, Raphael."

Raphael saw her leave, but his eyelids felt heavy. He was snug in the warmth of sleep for a while, until the sound of someone else coming into the room brought him back to lucidity.

"Raphael?" It was the voice of the headmistress. Raphael briefly wondered why she was here, sitting beside the bed, but his mind was foggy and the thoughts fell away.

The headmistress looked worried as Raphael opened his eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the slight smile on his face. "I came as soon as I heard what happened," she said. "How're you feeling?"

"I've been better," Raphael said, his voice thick and scratchy with sleep. "It hurts a lot."

"Oh, Raph…" The headmistress looked pained.

Raphael giggled slightly at the nickname. The headmistress smiled back. "It will all be okay Don't worry. I said I'd try help in any way that I can, and I will."

"Thanks, headmistress," Raphael said thickly.

The headmistress gave him a secretive smile. "You can call me Aileena, if you want."

Raphael nodded, smiling back. "Okay…"

Aileena began to hum a soft lullaby. It wasn't long before Raphael's eyes drooped and his breathing evened out, once more asleep.

Aileena, with a gentle smile, pulled the covers up to Raphael's chin. "Sweet dreams," she whispered.

"That was rather impressive," a voice whispered back. Aileena turned to see Lance, having snuck into the room.

"I was just doing what my mother would have done for me." Aileena smiled. "The sooner you find him a good home, the sooner he can be focus on being a child again, rather than the charge of an unfeeling organization."

Lance gave a quiet huff of laughter. "Don't worry; I've made sure your request to be a potential adoptive parent for Raphael was properly filed." He leant in. "In my opinion, I think you're almost guaranteed to get your wish."

Aileena almost squealed with delight. A mother! She was going to be a mother! She almost hugged Lance. "Thank you so much."

Lance shrugged like it was nothing. "You care about him, and he seems to be comfortable around you. You have a stable job and steady sources of income, and you're based in Celadon City, a central hub, and you have a good background. As Lorelei would say, logically, you're the best option."

Aileena stood and began to make her way to the door. "We should let him sleep."

The Elite Four member and mother-to-be quietly left the room, leaving the little boy to sleep and dream happy dreams of future successes.


	4. Chapter 4

The Ashford Academy battle arena, a place where aspiring trainers battled with their Pokémon. Whether it was to settle arguments, get practice for going on a journey or simply for fun, one could count on there being a battle if there was an opportunity for one to take place. Today, students flocked to the arena to watch another battle, one which promised to be an interesting one.

Raphael stood in front of his opponent, shoulders squared, feet planted firmly, his jaw set. Across from him stood a student slightly older than him by the name of Jude, a languid smile on his face, his posture lax and casual. He was known for his pranks and cruel bullying, and had a large following. Raphael had decided to step up to teach Jude a lesson.

Students always gathered when Raphael was battling. Raphael had built himself quite the reputation; his battle style was overwhelming, completely dominating his opponent, beating them on sheer skill, tactics and analysis. His opponents could train all they wished; they had never been a match for Raphael's strategic mind.

"Prepare to be humiliated in front of all your fans, golden boy," Jude smirked, a Poké Ball readied in his grip. "When I'm done with you, the League'll be begging me to take your place!"

"Really?" Raphael quirked an eyebrow. "If you're so confident, then come at me, loser!" He drew out a Poké Ball himself. "I'll show you why I'm the chosen one and you're just a school bully who crossed the line a few too many times!"

The referee, a teacher, stood in the centre. The teachers hadn't acted against Jude simply because there was no concrete evidence against him, despite the many complaints of his victims; there were likely more too afraid to talk. The teacher cleared his throat and tapped on a microphone, getting the surrounding crowd to quiet down so he could speak. Once they fell silent, he spoke. "This will be a one-on-one battle with no substitutions," he called. "Both battlers are to keep in mind that no dirty tricks and other shameful tactics are allowed." He eyed both Jude and Raphael with a warning glare. "Battlers, please choose your Pokémon!"

Jude threw the Poké Ball with a practiced flick of the wrist, causing it to whip through the air like a curveball. "Sandshrew, come on out!"

Raphael smiled. "No matter who you pick, I will win. Lune, show 'em what I mean!" Raphael threw his Poké Ball, and the lithe form of an agile Eevee burst out, bristling and ready for battle.

"Battlers ready?" The teacher called, eying them. "Pokémon ready?" He paused, then nodded. "Battle begin!"

Jude immediately reacted. "Dig!"

Sandshrew threw himself into the ground with his powerful claws, spraying dirt as he quickly disappeared. Lune stayed at the ready, staying light on his feet, ready to move.

Raphael almost rolled his eyes. Could one be more obvious? It was clear the bully had no follow up and was relying on the move purely by itself, without any other strategy.

Jude interpreted Raphael's lack of response entirely differently. "Having trouble?" He snickered. "Too bad! Sandshrew, pound the little furball into tomorrow!"

The ground beneath Lune caved, Sandshrew leaping up, his claws outstretched. Lune went with the momentum, rolling to the side, leaving Sandshrew swiping at empty air. After a panicked moment, Sandshrew swung around and dove back into the ground.

"That was luck and you know it, golden boy!" Jude laughed, crossing his arms. "Come on; it's about time Mr Holier-than-thou learnt he's nothing but a wimp with an even wimpier Eevee!"

The teacher drew in breath, prepared to reprimand Jude for his language. Raphael's face must have done something, however, because the teacher remained silent.

 _No one_ insulted Sola and Lune. _No one_ insulted his friends. They could take digs at him all they liked, and he'd keep on smiling. But insulting his Pokémon crossed the line twice.

In the corner of Raphael's eye, he saw the cracks appearing in the ground beneath Lune.

"Quick Attack!" Raphael called. "Circle 'round and hit him!"

Sandshrew burst out of the ground, claws extended. Lune was already gone, charging headfirst at Sandshrew's open back. Sandshrew pulled himself back into the ground just in time and Lune overshot, but landed steadily and ready for more.

Raphael sighed. "Almost…" His plan was already thought out. Jude wasn't giving any other directions, relying on Sandshrew's Dig. Raphael could easily use that to his advantage. But it was just so annoying; Jude was being so incredibly blatant and wasn't even trying to be clever at all. It was boring, fighting this battle; at least he got to wipe that damn smirk off Jude's face.

Raphael barely had to say anything. Lune simply dodged all of Sandshrew's attacks. After another four or so, Jude had gotten fed up. The battlefield was riddled with holes, and he'd gotten nowhere.

"Come on!" Jude yelled. "Hurry up and fight, or are you going to just sit by and let me prove you're a wimp?!"

Raphael shrugged in response. "Et in bello, et non rebus verba."

The bully rolled his eyes. "So now you're even speaking in wimp, too. What's that supposed to mean? 'I forfeit'?"

Raphael crossed his arms. "You don't listen in Languages class, huh." Raphael shook his head. "It's my personal philosophy for battles. It means 'In battle, make actions not words'." Raphael paused, letting it hang in the air. Jude didn't seem to realise the full implications until Raphael called out.

"Lune! Swift, into every hole! Leave no escape!" Raphael made a sweeping gesture with his hand, eyes narrowed.

With a cry, stars formed around Lune. Wave after wave sprang to light, darting into each and every hole. From underneath the ground, there was a loud screech.

"Sandshrew!" Jude recoiled, horrified. "Dig your way out, quick!"

Sandshrew didn't need to.

The ground erupted with stars, the battlefield almost caving in. With a terrified cry Sandshrew was launched into the air, stars ramming into him. Sandshrew was caught in a whirlwind, battering him in the air, making him completely helpless.

Once it was almost over, Raphael leant forward to Lune "Add another round," Raphael said conversationally. "Coming from up top."

With a nod, Lune complied, and another volley of stars joined the fray. This one struck from above, forcing Sandshrew back to the ground with a thump. The little Pokémon was utterly exhausted, struggling to rise.

"Come on, Sandshrew!" Jude urged. "Get up! You can do this! Poison Sting, then Defence Curl!"

Sandshrew shot out a Poison Sting, but the shot went wild. Giving up, Sandshrew curled up into a little ball, his aura boosting his defence.

"Let's finish this!" Raphael cried. "Tackle!"

Lune sprinted towards Sandshrew head on, expression determined.

"Rollout!" Jude called, desperate.

Lune smashed into Sandshrew with full force, and the little yellow Pokémon went flying. He landed squarely in Jude's stomach, pushing the bully over. The Ground-type lay in a heap, unmoving.

"Sandshrew is unable to battle!" The teacher called quickly. "Lune is the winner, and the match goes to Raphael d'Alcott!"

Lune turned around and sprinted towards Raphael, leaping into his arms. Raphael laughed, embracing his friend. "Awesome!" He grinned. "We're ready for our journey, for sure!"

Lune gave a happy cry, gaze determined. "Ee, evui!"

Raphael ruffled his friend's fur. "Not even a scratch on you, huh?"

Lune shook his head, proud.

"Raphael?"

Raphael turned to see the teacher approaching him. Raphael smiled at him, and Lune gave him a nod.

"Your mother wants to see you," he explained. "Something about your journey." He glanced at the time. "It's already three fifty; she's been waiting for a while now." He winked. "Wouldn't want to keep her waiting any more, eh? Don't worry, I'll tell her all about the battle."

"Thanks, sir!" Raphael called, already running. "See you soon!"

Raphael returned Lune to his Poké Ball on the run. He'd kept his mother waiting! Damn it! He rushed through the hallways, apologising to an elder student who's toe he stepped on and a teacher who gave him a dirty look. He reached his mother's office in under two minutes, panting slightly.

"Hi, mum!" He called.

With a smile, Aileena gestured for him to sit down. He shut the door and complied, settling into the comfy material.

Aileena explained to him some of the newer details of his journey which had come up, her voice gentle and calm. Even so, Raphael's jaw dropped open.

"Please tell me this is a joke." Raphael knew it wasn't, with this foreboding nasty feeling like an ugly unicorn had stabbed his stomach.

"I'm sorry, Raph," Aileena said with a slight shrug. "But there's nothing we can do. The League has decreed you will be travelling with Sonia Darkin, and that's the end of that."

"Mum!" Raphael almost winced at how whiny his voice got. "But you just said she's Psychic!"

Aileena arched an eyebrow. "So?"

Raphael stared at her. "Oh, come on! You know how crazy of an idea that is. I'm the anti-Psychic poster boy, I'm the reason Psychics give you dirty looks! I can't travel with a Psychic; they'll kill me!"

Aileena's expression darkened like a thunderstorm popping into existence over perfect blue skies. "Enough." Aileena's voice was cold. "You are not the anti-Psychic poster child and you will not refer to yourself like that. You were a victim, a story, and nothing more to them. All this will lead to is poor self-image. You're offering up ridiculous excuses; this is all the more reason for you to travel with her and destroy that..." Aileena paused. "... _unhelpful_ image."

Raphael's hopes were dashed. In other words, stomped on multiple times by a Rapidash. "Sure, okay, let's say we leave that huge, glaring, ginormous black hole of a huge very very big large issue alone. She's a Darkin! Aren't they the guys who hate us?"

Aileena sighed. "Yes."

Raphael leant back. "So there."

Aileena stared him down. "That doesn't change anything. The League wants to promote a pro-Psychic message and having you travelling with one is a good way to do that." Aileena smiled slightly. "Stop whining, Raph. I'm sure it will be good for you to travel with others your age."

"But Mal's coming with me!" Raphael argued. "Doesn't that—"

Aileena silenced him with a glare. "Have I taught you nothing in ten years? A mature and truly introspective person does not complain about a situation; he just gets on with it and does the best he can." She arched an eyebrow. "Besides, Mal isn't even technically your age. The fact of the matter is that you are travelling with Sonia Darkin, and you are going to do it with a smile and an open mind. Now, go prepare yourself; we leave tomorrow morning."

Raphael sighed, standing. "Okay. I'm sorry for being so bratty…"

"Hey…" Aileena smiled at him, a loving smile full of warmth. "Raph. I love you."

Raphael couldn't help but smile back. "I love you too, mum."

But when he trudged out of the office, Raphael's mood worsened immediately. He shoved his hands in his pockets, muttering. "I bet Agatha had something to do with ridiculous plan." He kicked at the air, walking to his dorms.

A moment later, he bumped into Ian. Raphael glanced up at his mother's boyfriend, surprised.

"Good afternoon, Raphael," he said, a winning smile on his face.

"What's so good about it?!" Raphael snapped.

* * *

Raphael leant against the car window, his head in his hands. The scenery rushed by, bringing him closer to Mal's house. Raphael sighed, still frustrated. Sonia Darkin. A Psychic, and a Darkin. Travelling with him. Ever since the Veritus incident, Agatha had constantly been hounding him about Psychics, trying to steer him towards a pro-Psychic point of view. Raphael let out another sigh. He didn't hate Psychics, but after everything that had happened, it was kind of difficult not to look at them in a negative light.

When he'd been twelve years old, he'd been shown the police report and security tapes. He'd seen them and watched as a Psychic had brutally killed his parents in cold blood. Raphael shuddered. And then there was the Veritus incident. He shuddered again. He sided with the anti-Psychics on some parts of the law because he knew what they could do, and he felt that fear catching in his chest whenever someone said the word.

That was the League's one issue in terms of Raphael. He ticked all the boxes, fit all the criteria, but then there was the Psychic issue. The League was decidedly pro-Psychic, and had to make sure to be seen as such. Raphael tapped his fingers on the window pane, an unusually cynical thought crossing his mind. This was probably just a publicity stunt on the part of the League.

Raphael's head was starting to hurt, so he sat up straight, away from the window. Maybe Sonia wouldn't be so bad? And Mal would be there, so at least he would have someone to talk to. Raphael smiled reflexively. Ever since their first meeting, Raphael and Mal had been the best of friends, together when at all possible. Mal had always been around for Raphael when he needed him, and Raphael returned the favour. Even Mal's family had grown close to Raphael. He glanced down at the package on his lap, his eyes then drifting to the watch Mal had made for him. Raphael fiddled with the watch, all the negativity from before replaced by warm thoughts. Hopefully Mal liked Raphael's gift as much as Raphael liked his.

The car came to a halt, jolting Raphael from his thoughts. The door opened, revealing Mal.

"Long car ride?" Mal asked wryly.

Raphael grinned at him. "Long car ride."

Mal slid into the car seat beside Raphael with a sigh. Aileena started up the car again.

"Have you ever wondered why Pallet Town is so far away?" Mal asked. "As a professor and provider of an important public services, is it not a much better idea to situate your lab in a location like Saffron or Celadon?"

Raphael shrugged. "You want to start off against Sabrina or Erika? I'd be coming to this area anyway! I'm just glad we get to be driven to Pallet and don't have to walk. Brock and Misty are much better to start off against."

Mal nodded. "That is a good point."

They sat in silence for a moment, Raphael trying to come up with the right words. When he'd finally settled on a good speech, he turned to Mal and presented the case.

"Mal," he began. "I wanted to properly thank you for being a year all these friends and—" Raphael saw the incredulous look on his friend's face and his brain caught up with his tongue. "Damn it!" He yelled. "I had the whole speech planned out!"

Mal took the case, a smile fighting for a place in his expression. "Nerves. The devilish things."

Raphael grinned sheepishly. "Look, I… It just means a lot that you're coming with me." He gave Mal his brightest smile. "You're my best friend, and I… Well, I'm just so grateful to be able to share this journey with you, I guess. I can't make stuff like you can, but…" He gestured to the case. "Hopefully this is good enough as a gift to show just how much you coming means to me."

Mal weighed the case in his hand, as though it had suddenly become heavier, more meaningful. He set it on his lap and began to delicately open it, carefully, making sure the contents were protected in case the car turned. As he lifted the top of the case, Mal's face lit up, positively glowing with delight.

Raphael smiled, feeling nothing but joy and warmth. Mal slowly lifted the flute from the case, a dark wood inlaid with silver. It would have been classic if it were not for the silver details. They twined into branches and leaves as though the instrument were a branch of an unearthly tree, curling around naturally and elegantly. If one looked closely, they could see a silver ladybug, a cobweb carved into the wood beside the mouthpiece, and even small silvery flowers.

"I…" Mal's eyes were impossibly wide. "I… Just… Just thank you."

Mal pulled Raphael into a hug, the crimson-haired boy smiling brightly. Raphael hugged him back, smiling wide. "I'm so happy you like it!"

"Of course I love it!" Mal cried. "This is amazing!" As he drew away, there were tears in his eyes. He hugged the flute close, then gently put it back in its case, with all the care of a loving parent.

Raphael pumped his fist. "Yeah! Success!"

Mal wiped the tears away, then brought up a box from beside his feet. "I made this for you as well."

Raphael's eyes shot up. "Wow, this and the watch? Mal, you didn't have to!"

Mal smiled. "But I wanted to. And after the flute, I'm glad I did."

Raphael took the box, slowly opening it, trying to match the care Mal had shown opening his gift. When the lid was lifted away completely, Raphael was glad he had.

Eyes wide, Raphael lifted the object from the box. It was oval-shaped, with holes and a protruding piece which looked like a mouthpiece. It looked like wood, smoothly and lovingly painted gold, leaf details encircling the mouthpiece. Set inside the leaves was a single piece of malachite, twinkling a brilliant green, matching the shade of Mal's eyes.

"The malachite is like your eyes," Raphael whispered. "It's so…"

"It's like a part of me is there," Mal explained. "When you play. That's an ocarina. My mother thought I should make you an instrument since you will be separated from your harp for so long." He smiled. "Once you learn, we can play some truly unique duets."

Raphael grinned. "This is awesome! Mal, you're the best!"

Mal offered another hug, which Raphael gladly accepted. All fears and worries were gone from Raphael's thoughts. They were steered determinedly ahead, focused on the future, focused on his journey. Raphael hugged Mal closer. Together, they would conquer the Kanto region. Raphael's ten years of training for this moment were over; it was time to live this moment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors note: The following fic is told from the perspective of an Anti-Psychic character. If you wish to read the pro-psychic story, please read the book of Sonia. Enjoy!**

Raphael sighed, looking up at his mentor's house. Blue had sent word for a meeting to discuss final preparations before Raphael properly set out on his journey. Raphael had wondered why Blue would call such a meeting, considering the League had made their expectations clear very early on; beat the the eight Gym Leaders, win the Kanto League and prove that Kanto can still produce world-class trainers.

Raphael knocked on the door, cracking his knuckles as he waited. Those expectations had been drummed into him since his earliest of memories with the League, in every single meeting. Raphael was antsily waiting for this meeting now; he had a bone or two to pick with the League.

Finally, Blue answered, opening the door. "Hey, Raphy!" He smiled, using that stupid pet name from so long ago. "C'mon in!"

The moment Raphael walked in, his eyes immediately snapped to the other person in the room. Elite Four Agatha, sitting in one of the chairs, perpetually wound up tight like a broken music box. She wore a deep scowl, tapping her foot at a brisk pace. Raphael felt a groan coming on; he and the Ghost-type trainer had never gotten along. She constantly criticised, insisted on changing Raphael's stance on Psychics and her opinion of Raphael could be summed up in one word; 'pointless'.

"So?" Agatha said, crotchety as always. "You met her? What complaints do you have to throw at me, boy?"

Raphael scowled back. "I want her gone. Felix can stay, but Sonia has to go."

"Ten years." Agatha said and stood, giving Raphael a glare. "Ten years and you are still as bitter and angry as the day the accident happened."

"Sola tripped on a ledge. That was an accident. He broke my arm," Raphael countered. He felt his arm tingle, memories of Veritus and pain flashing through his consciousness.

Agatha's expression darkened. It still held that contempt that Agatha always had when Raphael was around, but now it held an edge of anger. Raphael recoiled; it was one of the few times he'd ever seen Agatha truly angry, and it was honestly terrifying.

"You are blind!" she spat. "You still see Psychics as all the same: dangerous, needing to be controlled, callous and apathetic. For someone who is supposedly so talented at analysing situations, how are you still refusing to look at other points of view?!"

She stalked towards him, imposing and intimidating. Raphael did not respect her, but as a young child Agatha had haunted his nightmares.

"I have a habit of being right, Raphael d'Alcott." Agatha glared at Raphael, gaze judgemental. "And I still think it was a bad move to make you the chosen trainer. Mark my words; your inability to let go of the past will be your downfall."

Raphael's fists clenched. He forced himself to breathe deeply, feeling the hatred of Agatha in every fibre of his being. He couldn't hold the angry words in any longer.

"And I have a habit of proving everyone wrong, Agatha. Mark these words!" The boy stepped towards the Elite Four, jabbing a finger at her face. She didn't even flinch. Raphael continued, frothing with rage. "When I beat all the Gym Leaders and crush the League, I'll come for you! I will destroy you and wipe out your team! Your days as an Elite Four are numbered, you… You old bat!"

Blue's eyebrows shot up. Silence descended upon the room in a thick layer. Raphael forced himself not to twitch; he'd said it, and he'd stand by it.

"Hmph." Agatha was unimpressed. "Confidence and arrogance. A fine line indeed. With that attitude, your new Psychic friend will beat you to it. But I doubt either of you will get far without letting go of your prejudices. Good luck, boy. You'll be needing it."

"Why do you care?" Raphael shot back. "You've never cared once about me. All you care about is your pro-Psychic movement and your criminal of a grandson. You pro-Psychic guys are so willing to deflect any criticism that anyone having a different opinion is automatically prejudiced according to you! And Sonia won't stay; I bet you 5000 Poké dollars that she leaves before Pewter!"

Agatha shook her head. "Misleading misconceptions, misunderstandings, misinterpretations, miscellaneous miseries." She looked thoughtful for a moment, her eyes narrowed. "Something Lorelei used to say when she was Saffron City Gym leader. You'd do well to take a leaf out of her book. I myself need to head to the Indigo Plateau. Enjoy your journey, boy."

Agatha stalked out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her.

Raphael's jaw fell open. In a split second, his face scrunched up with rage and he threw a fist at the wall, not caring as pain sparked through his wrist.

"Woah! Raph, calm down!" Blue grabbed Raphael by the shoulders. "Agatha has a point!"

Raphael glared at him. Blue raised a sardonic eyebrow back. "She usually has a point. You may not think about it, but the law is kinda harsh on Psychics; your companion has a lot of incentive not to attack you." He tried to smile. "Don't worry —"

"Cut the crap, Blue!" Raphael roared, shoving the elder male away. "You and I both know what this is; an Arceus-damned _publicity stunt_ for the sake of showing off how pro-Psychic you guys are! I refuse to travel with her!"

In a split second Blue shoved Raphael into the wall, pinning him there. His expression was deadly serious.

"Calm down, Raphael." His eyes narrowed. "Think about what you're saying. The League isn't going to kick her out just because you're bitching about travelling with a Psychic, and the League certainly isn't going to kick her out because you can't play nice. So what're you gonna do? Walk out on us? You're not going to throw away seven years of your life just because of this. It's pathetic." Blue sighed, loosening his grip slightly. "I get that you're angry about what's happened in your past. Out of all the anti-Psychics I've met, you have the most justification. But now you're gonna swallow your pride and travel with this Psychic girl. I'm not saying you have to like it, but it's gotta happen, Raphy. It's just the way it is."

Raphael sighed, begrudgingly relaxing. Blue released him, allowing Raphael to shake himself out.

"Fine," he said guardedly. "I'll _tolerate_ her. But if she interferes with my journey even once or attacks me or my friends, I want full permission to travel without her."

"Hey, I'm all in favour for that," Blue said with a smile, putting up his hands. "But I'm sure there'll be no need. Give it a go, Raphy. Sure, bad stuff's happened, but the past is the past! This is your chance for a fresh start. The Veritus accident —"

"Incident," Raphael interrupted.

"—Accident was a long time ago," Blue continued, pointedly ignoring Raphael's comment. Blue smiled. "I'm sure it won't be as bad as you thin—" Suddenly, Blue's eyes darted to the clock. "Holy Arceus, is that the time?! Aw, man, Goodshow's gonna kill me!" Blue ran crazed through the room, grabbing his coat and keys. "I gotta go —Have a great journey, Raphael!"

With that, Blue ran out, leaving the door open behind him. "Lock up when you leave!" he called out behind him.

Raphael sighed as he watched the Champion go. "Safe journey, Blue…"

He was met with silence.

Locking the door, Raphael left, shoving his hands into his pockets and hunching his shoulders. He hated Sonia and she hated him. It was clear neither one of them wanted to journey with the other. If there was ever going to be peace between them, it looked like it would be taking a long, long time.

Raphael relaxed slightly as he mulled over Blue's words. He wouldn't allow her presence to destroy all that he had worked for. He had Mal, and he had Felix, a good guy despite his eccentricities. Heck, maybe he and Sonia just got off on the wrong foot and by the time they got to Viridian, they'd have it all sorted out.

Raphael found his steps automatically leading him to the Pallet Town graveyard. Raphael surrendered, letting himself walk towards it. He wanted to go anyway, and now was as good a time as any.

Raphael walked through the graveyard, enveloped in his isolation. He came to a stop at two simple graves, side by side, underneath a young, solitary yew tree.

Raphael felt for a handkerchief, a small embroidered one Mal had sewn for Raphael a long time ago when the elder boy had tried taking up sewing. With a gentle hand, Raphael wiped the grime and dust from the surface of the graves, revealing the names Simon and Rachel Bennett. Raphael pulled up the weeds beside the graves, making the area as pristine as he could. Slipping the now-dirtied handkerchief back in his pocket, Raphael straightened once more with a sigh. He'd heard, once, that his parents had wanted to live in Pallet Town when they retired. It was why they were buried in Pallet Town; a sad pseudo-symbolism, granting their wish in a twisted way, even if it was meant well. It pulled Raphael's heartstrings each time.

"Hey, mum. Hey, dad," Raphael whispered. "How're things with Arceus? It's kinda hard to believe it's been twelve years, huh." Raphael was silent for a moment, thinking. "By the way, I got some great news!" He made his voice cheery and bright. "You remember the competition and the training and all of that? Well, I'm done with the training part! I'm on to my journey now. Sola and Lune are all ready to go and we're gonna tear up the League, just like you tore up those politicians, dad!" Raphael laughed, but it came out forced.

Raphael sobered, looking up at the yew tree and the bright red berries glistening on its branches. "Don't worry, mum; I'm taking care of myself." He looked back at the graves. "Bruno's a great teacher for survival training, but I still burn most of what I cook. But that's okay; Mal's coming along. Remember him? I told you guys about him last time. You'd like him if you met him; he's like my big brother." Raphael laughed slightly, remembering treasured moments with Mal, precious memories he'd save forever.

Raphael grinned, a real grin. "Oh yeah! And there's a new guy! News to me, too; I only learnt about him today. His name's Felix; he's from Sinnoh, and he's a Pokémon Breeder! He's got this awesome talent; he can talk to Pokémon and understand them. It was so cool when he talked to Sola and Lune. I kinda got jealous! He's a bit eccentric and kinda weird, but he's really nice, so travelling with him will be great."

Talking about travelling reminded Raphael of his other companion. His mood darkened as he shifted his feet, sighing.

"There's someone else, too. A girl. Her name's Sonia, and… Well, she's Psychic." Raphael made himself relax, feeling the anger coiling up and making him tense. "We… We don't really get along now. Got a lot of stuff to sort out. Who knows, maybe we just overreacted and by the time we get to Viridian we'll be best friends and everything will be fine and no, I don't really believe what I'm saying." Raphael sighed, cringing. "Sorry."

Raphael's hand went to his pendant automatically, bringing him peace. "Never mind that stuff. I haven't forgotten about you guys; I wear this every day. You're in my thoughts all the time…" Raphael felt something building up, a great wave of grief that threatened to choke him.

Raphael came down onto his knees, staring sightlessly at the graves before him. "I miss you." His voice cracked. He needed this release, far from all the people and the pressure and the need for perfection. Raphael rubbed his hands over his face and over the back of his neck, trying to loosen himself up, breathing deep.

"Don't worry about your boy," Raphael whispered hoarsely, making himself stand up. "Aileena's a great mum, and I'm really happy. You'll see. I'm gonna make you guys proud. I'm gonna beat every trainer, every Gym Leader and go all the way to the top of the world. And hey, from where you are, you got the best seats to watch me soar. I gotta get going; Mal's probably wondering where I am, but I'm glad I got to talk with you before I left."

Raphael reached out a hand to the gravestones, the wind whispering by him and rustling the leaves of the yew tree. "Thanks, guys. I love you."

Raphael walked out of the graveyard, head held high. Soon, his journey would begin, and from it he'd emerge the absolute best he could be —better than Blue, better even than Cynthia, the League's top-ranked trainer. Raphael felt himself smile, holding the memory of his parents in his heart. His strides lengthened, and Raphael walked confidently back to Professor Oak's lab, ready to begin his journey.


	6. Chapter 6

Raphael strode confidently along Route 1. No more waiting, no more hesitation. It was his time.

"Ah, I'm so excited!" Felix stretched his arms out, walking beside him. "Travelling all of Kanto, meeting so many new people and Pokémon, growing stronger and wiser… I've been looking forward to this my whole life!"

"I've been training for this my whole life, actually," Raphael replied. "Years of preparation, learning every battle tactic in the book, and working with some of the best trainers in all of Kanto… all for this journey."

"So I've read," Felix replied, raising an eyebrow. "You really have it all, don't you?"

"Believe me, I've earned it," Raphael said, smiling slightly. "You don't work as hard as I do without reaping the rewards."

Felix grinned. "Hah! You're talking to a fully certified breeder, one who skipped a decade of classes to finish this early— if I didn't want to go on this journey, I'd be making serious cash with Pokémon breeding and caretaking commissions. But instead I chose to come all the way to Kanto and spend however long it takes to push you through the Gyms… but if you're so high and mighty like you say, should I have bothered coming here at all?"

Raphael scowled. "Hey, it's not like I begged you to come along—" but before he could continue, Felix started laughing.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Actually, it'd be more accurate to say I begged to come along with how much work it took to get here, so thank you for tolerating my presence!"

"Uhh, you're welcome," Raphael replied unsteadily. Everything about Felix just led to more confusion; the breeder was exceptionally unpredictable. "I'm… glad you're here, really."

"Not to mention, Cascade beat Sola pretty good back there," Felix said casually.

"That wasn't a fair fight and you know it! Reacting to your opponent's commands is a critical part of battling!" Raphael rolled his eyes. Sola had been furious that she had lost to Cascade and wanted an immediate rematch. Once there was a chance, Raphael would give her the opportunity to best the otter Pokémon.

"It's all part of your training," Felix explained. "How much better will you be if you can react to attacks or deception in half the time? Besides, strategies like codes and speaking in Pokémon languages are legal in the League; you have to be able to deal with those. Also, Sabrina's going to be a real pain in the rear with her telepathy unless we start practicing for it."

"She's the sixth Gym Leader!" Raphael complained.

"Don't forget Sonia! Hey, Sonia, you communicate with your Pokémon during battles using telepathy, right?"

"Hm?" Sonia didn't even give them the 'honour' of a cursory glance. "Oh, yeah."

"There you go," Felix gestured at Sonia, looking pleased. Raphael only frowned. Felix's look immediately turned to worry. "Hey, is there a problem?"

"I…" Raphael trailed off. He didn't know how to continue this sentence without just angering Sonia even more.

"I already know, d'Alcott; just say it," Sonia spoke up bluntly.

"It's… that!" Raphael exclaimed. "That and her other weird Psychic powers. She has no respect for privacy or basic human decency. When we first met she read my mind and Mal's without permission, just to insult me for my private thoughts."

"It shouldn't matter if you've got nothing to be ashamed of," Felix commented.

"What, you've got nothing you're not willing to say out loud?" Raphael retorted.

"'Course I do!" Felix winked. "But it won't bother me if it comes out."

"Well, lucky you," Raphael grumbled. "But I still can't stand her."

"The feeling's mutual," Sonia spoke up. "So just stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

"Let's just move on," Felix advised. "So, in my research about the Gym Leaders, it seems the average number of attempts is around six to seven. Even if they deliberately use weaker Pokémon to scale with a trainer's progress, they're all way harder than most people expect."

"Yeah, I've seen videos," Raphael nodded. Raphael had seen many of the videos collected on previous matches with Gym Leaders."They destroy trainers over and over."

"So it makes me wonder, what about them is so tough?" Felix wondered. "If they use Pokémon on par with the average trainer's, shouldn't they be on equal footing?"

Raphael almost laughed. Felix was forgetting something very rudimental.

"Don't forget, these guys have decades of practice battling, superior tactics, better reaction time—"

"A closer bond with their Pokémon?"

"Everything," Raphael finished. "Most trainers eventually win by sheer strength; I want to do better."

Felix grinned. "Oh, really?"

"I want to beat them at their own game. I want to show them why I deserve to be the champion, why I was chosen to represent the future of Kanto." Raphael clenched his fist, expression set with determination. "I'm going to win not because my Pokémon did more laps around the track, I'm going to win because I can outsmart them." It was his ultimate goal to win, to be the best the world had ever seen. If he could play the Gym Leader's game and win, then it was one step closer to that ultimate goal.

Up ahead he heard Sonia snort. "Outsmart Gym Leaders? Really? I knew you had an inflated opinion of yourself, Raphael d'Alcott, but I'm surprised you haven't burst from your own ego yet."

Raphael glared at her, about to say something nasty, but Felix stepped between them, saying, "Sonia, that was a little uncalled for, don't you think?"

Sonia merely walked on. "Sooner or later he's going to end up humiliated in battle. Would you rather him learn humility now or after he's had his team utterly decimated? Because I know he's afraid of it. Failure's not an option for him, not with all the high expectations put on him. Losing means failing the Elite Four, your mother, Mal, and now Felix— isn't that right?"

"Shut up," Raphael growled. If there were two types of people that Raphael couldn't stand, it was bullies and stuck up smart-arses. Psychics had a habit of being one or both, and Sonia was a prime specimen of the smart-arse type.

Sonia, predictably, did not shut up. "So you refuse to lose, even if that's completely impossible. The Gym Leaders are going to defeat you over and over—"

"I said shut up!" Raphael shouted.

Mal put his arm over Raphael's shoulders, his grip firm and unyielding. Raphael raged inwardly; if he could have, Raphael would've abandoned Sonia in Pallet and set off in the middle of the night, damn what the League wanted. But Mal and Felix had decided to take Sonia's crap, and no matter how much he wanted to be rid of the infuriating Psychic, he wouldn't abandon his friends. Old or new.

"Sonia, please, let me handle this," Felix jumped in, trying to calm everyone down. "I think you've made your point." He turned to Raphael. "Why don't we fall behind a few steps? That way we can have our conversation with a bit more privacy."

"Nothing's private around Sonia Darkin," Raphael muttered.

Felix laughed. "That's very true! Ah, but we'll get used to it. If you're at peace with yourself, she shouldn't bother you."

Raphael sighed in response, but slowed his pace with Felix until Mal and Sonia were about fifty paces ahead.

Sola's muscles were tense, her eyes narrowed at the platinum blond-headed figure in front of them. Her face ever-so-slightly curled into a growl.

"You hate her too, huh?" Raphael sighed. Sola, on his shoulder, jumped to look at him. He smiled as she nodded sheepishly. "Don't worry about it. We'll try not to let her bother us; we stay out of her way, she stays out of ours, and she won't be a problem."

Sola nodded, smiling. Raphael turned to Felix, but the breeder was still talking in Buizel to Cascade.

"Felix?" Raphael asked.

"Oh, sorry!" Felix switched to English. "Cascade just had a question is all."

"That's fine." Raphael's shoulders slumped a little as he sighed. "So… what do you think, honestly? Is my plan stupid and prideful like Sonia said?"

"I think it's a great goal, honestly," Felix insisted. "But it's good to keep things realistic. The only time a Gym Leader has been defeated first try is if the challenger had already cleared another region's Gyms and had an incredibly powerful team. So here's what I'm thinking— since nobody in their right mind would expect a trainer to win first try, just don't expect to win! You're going to lose and it might even be hilarious."

Raphael gave Felix a disconcerted look. "You mean… Intentionally lose? Really?"

"Not intentionally lose, but… well, you can try your best to hold back a river even if there's no hope of succeeding. In the same way, try to win even though you have no hope of winning."

"I still don't understand," Raphael shook his head.

"Well, just hear me out. It's all the expectation; if you don't expect to win but you still give it a go, you won't get humiliated and angered! But you can make that loss count, too. You go in, you lose, but while you're losing keep track of all the Gym Leader's quirks and preferences. If you want to outsmart them like you said, watch carefully for any weaknesses. Then after some more practice, go in a second time and use those new strategies to learn how the Gym Leader adapts and any weakness they have in that. But then your third time, you should be nice and practiced against the Gym Leader, so as long as you keep your own strategy fresh and really watch for those weaknesses you found, I think you can consistently win third time! 'Course, this all depends on you being the tactical genius your reports say you are."

"I don't think all that's necessary," Raphael shook his head. "Why can't I just do all that in my first battle?"

"Because…" Felix paused before responding. "It just doesn't work that way. There's not enough time to learn and adapt in the heat of battle. You need some downtime to really work out a good plan."

"Felix, if there's anyone who can do it, it's me," Raphael insisted. "I've been training my whole life for this, remember?"

"You nearly lost to a breeder and his lone Buizel!" Felix countered. "The Gym Leaders are way, way tougher than I am!"

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Tell me— are you really scared of failing, like Sonia said?" Felix said softly.

Raphael was silent for a moment.

"Yes."

There was no sense in lying to Felix. It was true. Throughout the entirety of Raphael's life he had feared failure. At Ashford, at training, even at social calls. He was constantly second guessing himself. He wanted to win, have that perfect record. And Felix had pretty much told him it wouldn't happen.

"Then please. Learn to expect failure from fighting these guys." Felix smiled. "You'll be much happier that way."

"I'll be happy when I win." Raphael couldn't quite hide his discomfort. "Can we just drop this for now?"

Felix shrugged. "Sure. Brock's not for another couple towns anyway."

"Ow! What was that for?!" Sonia suddenly cried.

Raphael, Mal and Felix froze.

Sonia turned to them. "What?" She snapped.

Raphael glanced at Mal, feeling awkward.

Without warning, a woman appeared from thin air behind Sonia. Mal, Felix and Raphael jumped in sync. The woman waved at them with a cheery grin.

Sonia crossed her arms. "What? What is it? Some kind of prank?"

The woman looked absurdly normal, if also absurdly pink. She had glasses and curly light brown hair and she wore very normal office clothes; blazer, blouse and office skirt. The office skirt was so pink Raphael had to blink a few time. He was sure it was the only detail of her he'd remember afterwards.

Before anyone could react, the woman clapped a hand on Sonia's shoulder. She still towered over Sonia, despite being short for an adult.

"What do we have here? Four little children, wandering around by themselves?" Her voice was sickeningly sweet, the purest sugar.

"H-hi!" Raphael said, trying to sound cordial. "M-my name is Raphael, and these are my friends, Mal—"

The woman gestured dismissively, shutting him up. "Yes, yes, I know who you are. Raphael d'Alcott, Malcolm Thrones, Felix Verity and Sonia Darkin."

Raphael's mouth froze in what he was sure was an unflattering gape. "Uhhh…" He glanced at Felix. "Do _you_ know her?"

Felix shrugged; he, too, was baffled. He shook his head. "Sonia?"

Sonia's expression darkened as she faced the strange woman. Sonia jumped up, but she never fell back down; her jump seemed to have been in slow motion, and she hung in the air at the apex of her jump, as if gravity had forgotten to affect her. Her face was now level with the strange woman's. "Excuse me." Her voice was frigid. "But who the hell are you?"

The woman tutted, shaking her head. "Such manners." As she said it, she snapped her fingers.

Sonia yelped as she suddenly fell flat on her back, her legs pulled out from under her. Raphael felt his breath catch as he reflexively recoiled. So the strange woman was a Psychic too? He was no Psychic expert, but seeing Sonia just casually thrown to the ground like that spoke frighteningly of great power. If the strange woman could do that to Sonia, just what could she do to him, or Mal, or Felix?

The woman giggled brightly. "That was easier than I'd expected."

Sonia growled, standing up and dusting herself off, glaring daggers.

"Ooh! Rare Pokémon!" Said a voice from above. "I call dibs!"

Automatically, everyone looked up. Two men dropped down from the trees, landing in masterful crouches. Their appearances were so similar that at first, they looked like twins.

In the blink of an eye they leapt towards the woman, one nonchalantly reaching out to grab Zorua on the way.

"Hey!" Sonia cried, snatching at him. As she reached out, hints of pink seemed to appear in the air in front of her. As her hand collided with them, bouncing off, they flared dark pink. Whatever it was, they were trapped.

"Uh oh." Raphael felt himself saying, almost out of reflex. He could feel the fear in his voice. "This is bad."

"No!" Sonia cried. "Give me back my friend, right now!"

"Zoru!" Zorua screeched. The little Pokémon thrashed, trying to escape the man's grip, but he easily pinned her. Her claws and bites were neutralised as he held her muzzle closed and grabbed hold of her paws.

Felix gasped, looking like he'd just been shot in the heart. "Don't treat a Pokémon like that! Who do you think you are?!"

"Who are we?"

Raphael jumped around to see yet another person. This one was a short but leanly muscled young woman with blue stripes dyed in her hair. She stood with her hand on her hip, dressed in a Team Rocket uniform. The two men standing beside the Psychic woman opened their jackets to reveal the signature bright red R's on their clothes beneath.

The blue haired woman's eyes narrowed. "I'm pretty sure the uniforms speak for themselves, kid."

Raphael felt his heart racing. This was bad. They were in danger. This was very bad. They needed to get out, right now. "This is very, very bad…"

"And on the first day, too," Mal muttered.

The pink woman giggled. "Oh! Almost forgot my manners! We know your names, so I suppose it's only fair you know ours." Her grin made Raphael nervous, like she was a spider who'd trapped them all neatly in her web. Her eyes were almost hungry.. "My name is Odette Fairchild, that over there is Janette Tudor and these two here are Fred and Grant. Fred's the one holding your darling little Zorua." Odette's hungry look seemed to fix on Sonia. "Seems we have you surrounded, doesn't it?"

Raphael looked around, trying to assess the situation through the fog of panic. It was grim, with no silver lining. The Rocket members blocked the paths. To the sides were only dense trees which would be hard to get through, would separate them, and were likely mapped out by the Rocket members. There was only one option left; attack.

Raphael gritted his teeth and readied his stance. "No you don't!"

Raphael ran at Janette, trying to twist and duck underneath her. Janette stepped to the side, grabbed his wrist and pressed it at an awkward angle. She turned back around and slammed Raphael to the ground, all in one seamless movement. Raphael cried out in pain and surprise as he hit the ground hard, squeezing his eyes shut to block out the spray of dirt and the sharp pain in his wrist.

"Don't try that again, kid." Janette let Raphael's wrist go. "I've been trained by the best."

Raphael staggered away from her, back to the group, holding his aching wrist. "Okay. Anyone got a better plan?"

Felix just looked panicked, but Mal stepped forward. "I'm sure we can resolve this peacefully," he said sincerely, masterfully diplomatic. "Is there something specific you want—?"

"They're trying to steal my friend!" Sonia screeched, cutting him off. She looked more furious than Raphael ever wanted to see her again. "I'm not just going to sit here and take this peace talk crap! You are not getting away with this, you thugs!"

No one else had a chance to react. Fred was suddenly thrown back into a tree, crying out and freeing Zorua.

Raphael stared at Sonia, but she was already gone, reappearing right in front of Fred. She grabbed his throat, and the man _screamed_ like Sonia was torturing him. Sonia was too absorbed in whatever the hell she was doing to notice as Grant rushed her, grabbing Sonia and throwing her away. Sonia hit the ground hard and Fred slumped against the tree, knocked out. Grant was furious, pulling out a baton. Before long Sonia has neutralised Grant as well, and even broken Janette's gun.

Raphael blinked. She could do all that...?

Raphael heard Odette say something to Sonia, then the younger Psychic stumbled away and whatever she'd done to Fred and Grant seemed to heal.

"Fred, Grant, Janette," Odette called out, approaching Sonia. "Take care of the other three. I'm going to have a little chat with our Psychic friend here. Psychic-to-Psychic."

Raphael saw Janette step toward him in the corner of his eye, and his instincts for battle immediately took over. He whirled around to face her. In one fluid motion, Janette snapped up two Poké Balls and tossed them into the air. A Koffing burst out of one, spurting foul gas into the air, and an Elekid from the other, whirling its arm to the crackle of electricity.

Raphael glanced at Sol and Lune. The pair of Eevee leapt into action, hackles raised, growling at the enemy.

"Kansen! Smokescreen!" Janette directed, commanding and efficient. "Senkai! Swift!"

Before Raphael could react, the Koffing blew out dark, acrid smoke. Raphael coughed and squinted his eyes as the smoke blew over him, Sola and Lune. The two Eevee looked around, squinting, trying to see through the smog, their aura subtly affected.

From nowhere, bright stars cut through the smog and struck Sola and Lune. The two Eevee were thrown back, but then another volley of stars flashed at them, striking them again.

"Sola, Lune, use Swift back!" Raphael commanded.

The two Pokémon released their own volley of stars; no sooner had they done so did their opponent's Swift come streaking towards them. The Swifts collided together in a burst of energy, sending out a wave of force that beat back the Smokescreen.

Janette was reading and waiting. "Poison Gas!"

"Dodge it!" Raphael called.

Kansen blew out a dark green gas, and Raphael covered his mouth. The two Eevee scrambled to the side, trying to avoid being near the cloud, but the gas caught up to Lune. The Pokémon coughed, shuddering, the poison latching on to his aura.

Raphael gritted his teeth. "Quick Attack!"

Both Eevee turned to their opponents and launched themselves forward, streaking at them at high speed.

"Counter with Assurance and Low Kick!" Janette directed.

Kansen flashed forward with a dull, wheezing laugh, it's body glimmering with Dark-type energy. Senkai leapt forward athletically, cartwheeling and leaping forward and pushing off with its arms and flipping.

Kansen collided with Sola, the two forced back apart. Senkai swung its leg forward and connected with Lune's, sending the Eevee tumbling forward and crashing to the ground.

"Quick Attack, Senkai!" Janette commanded. The Elekid complied; before Lune could get back up, it smashed a speedy fist into Lune's body.

"Sola, Quick Attack the Elekid! Knock it off Lune!"

Sola rushed forward and tackled Senkai in the middle of a flying leap, sending the Electric type stumbling away.

"Kansen, Sludge!" Janette directed. "Senkai, Shock Wave!"

"Lune, Sand Attack!" Raphael cried.

Lune pulled himself up and slammed his paw into the ground, sending a spray of dirt at the two opposing Pokémon. But the shot went wild; his paw landed awkwardly as he took Poison damage. Kansen shot up to dodge it and Senkai let it hit, releasing the Shock Wave anyway.

Sola and Lune stumbled as the Shock Wave hit, Lune falling to his knees. No sooner had the two recovered did the Sludge strike, a purply ooze that hit Sola and Lune with enough force to make them fall back, covering them in poisonous gunk.

Raphael gritted his teeth. "Swift, both of you!"

Sola and Lune sent stars after their opponents, their expressions locked in grim determination.

"Shock Wave!" Janette hadn't lost her cool the entire battle, delivering orders with military precision and command. Senkai obeyed and let loose a Shock Wave which shattered the Swift, mostly cancelling them out.

"Guard!" Janette directed.

Some of the stars had made it through, battering lightly at Janette's Pokémon. Kansen tensed and Senkai put up his arms, the two taking in and absorbing the stars, shaking them off as though they were nothing.

Before Raphael could make his move, Kansen had shot forward.

"Sludge!"

The purple gunk hit Sola and Lune once more, forcing them back to the ground. Lune was almost too tired to battle, Poison damage taking ahold of him once more. Sola pushed herself up, but she was running out of energy.

"Quick Attack, both of you! Target the Elekid!" Raphael cried. He had no plans; he was simply outmatched. He needed to figure something out, but nothing was coming to him; he was drawing blank after blank. This was the best he had.

Sola and Lune rushed at Senkai, imbued with the speed of their move. Senkai acrobatically ducked and weaved and leapt and flipped, dodging over and over, but not able to attack back.

Kansen hovered around, trying to find an angle to attack, but it couldn't— not without risking attacking its teammate.

Janette crossed her arms. "So that's your plan? Stall?"

Raphael gritted his teeth. It was a very bad plan, but he needed an idea. He noticed Lune staggering as Poison damage caught him, but the dedicated Eevee continued his assault. Sooner or later the Poison would make him faint, or the two Eevee would smash into each other, or by weird chance one or both would hit Senkai.

"And you're supposed to be the League's golden trainer," Janette said, huffing with slight laughter. "Honestly?" She looked him up and down, shaking her head. "Not impressed."

Sola quickly glanced over at her trainer, worry in her eyes. But she narrowed her eyes in determination and continued to attack, despite the fatigue wearing in her muscles.

"Face it, kid; you're weak," Janette said matter-of-factly. "That'll be a lesson. Don't trust the League with training someone up." Janette spread her hands. "I'd like to believe you have potential. But there's no way I can tell like this."

"The League has done their best." Raphael clenched his fists. "And I think their best is pretty damn good! You can't talk about being weak when your group's favourite pastime is hiding in the shadows!"

Janette snorted. "Team Rocket doesn't hide in the shadows. It rules Kanto from the shadows." She turned back to the battlefield. "Kansen, Smokescreen!"

Smoke blew out of the Poison-type, covering Senkai and the two Eevee.

"Shock Wave!" Janette cried before Raphael could call out 'Swift'. A moment later, Sola and Lune were thrown from the smoke cloud, sparking with electricity. Senkai leapt out with a forward flip, landing perfectly.

Sola pulled herself back up, ready for battle. Lune, however, with one last attack from the Poison damage, fell to the ground.

Raphael recalled Lune, crying out "Baby-Doll Eyes!" as he did so.

Sola made her best Baby-Doll face, her aura twisting and attacking at her opponents.

Janette's lips twisted disdainfully. "Swift and Sludge!"

"Dodge the Sludge and Swift to counter the Swift!"

As Sola ran, twisting and ducking, and as Kansen and Senkai continued their assault and Sola got closer and closer to collapsing like Lune, Raphael could only think of one thing;

 _What happens if I lose?_

He needed a miracle to get him out of this mess.. What came was more like Fortune's way of saying 'You know what, I'll help after all!' Without warning a powerful force tore across the battlefield, almost knocking Raphael off his feet. As he stumbled, trying to catch himself, he heard a cacophony of screams. Recoiling, he looked up to see Janette and her Pokémon thrown into the air as if they'd been flung by a giant invisible hand. Sola gave Raphael an incredulous look.

"Okay, I'll bite…" Raphael could almost feel himself trembling, shaken on the inside and out. "What just happened?"

Raphael glanced back, shaking his head and trying to clear it from the fog of confusion. Grant, Fred and whatever Pokémon they'd had were gone. Mal and Felix looked just as shaken as Raphael, if not more; Mal looked like he was on the verge of an asthma attack and Felix a panic attack. Raphael finally turned his gaze onto Sonia.

The Psychic girl stood before Odette, wavering, like a willow the wind was determined to knock over. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, her jaw clenched tightly.

She… _She'd_ thrown Team Rocket away like that.

 _That power..._ Raphael was definitely trembling now. A vision of Veritus flashed in his mind. _If she can do that to them… What could she do to me…?_

"Go ahead, Odette." Sonia's voice shook. She looked like she was about to faint. "They're all about to fall to their deaths, but they're not too high for a teleporter of your skill to grab them all. You won't be able to take Zorua with you; her Dark-type aura will throw your teleportation off just enough for them to fall."

The Rocket agent smiled, almost like a proud big sister. "Very clever! I like that plan! Getting us all away from you long enough to teleport your little group somewhere else!" She clapped her hands, keeping Zorua draped over her elbow. Raphael was impressed; if they could get away from Odette, they could contact the police and get protection.

"There's just one thing you didn't factor in."

Sonia's entire body seemed to wilt. She staggered back, an emotion finally registering on her face; despair. "Don't tell me they have parachutes or jetpacks or some other stupid crazy technology."

"Yup!" Odette grinned. "We jump down from planes and helicopters all the time to do our missions; what would we do without them? Nice and compact, too. I love Team Rocket! We get all the best tech before the rest of the region catches up!"

Any smidgen of relief at the battle with Janette ending went up in smoke. If Odette was speaking the truth, they would have maybe three minutes at most before Janette and the others returned to ground. Not even a military genius could think of a retreat plan in that amount of time. Raphael's heart pounded. The only thing to do was prepare for another fight.

But the fight never came.

Sonia fell to her knees, hopeless. As she fell, a burst of force blew through the clearing like a stormy gale. Wisps of pinkish mist flashed along with the wind, purple strands streaming and fading from Sonia's body. Raphael felt himself knocked back, stumbling away, until he'd landed in a bush. Reflexively he grabbed onto tree roots; fighting the force as it swept over him. He held out Sola's Poké Ball and screamed for her to be recalled, thanking Arceus as the red light restored her to safety. The force built with each passing moment as Odette leant closer to Sonia, a wicked smile on the Rocket Psychic's face.

Odette whispered viciously at Sonia, her smile, to Raphael's eyes, cruel. Sonia shook her head, shaking, her expression taut with pain. Odette shrieked in laughter; was the Rocket agent taking _joy_ out of tormenting Sonia?

 _What're we gonna do now?_ Odette had Sonia beaten. The other agents were going to show up soon. And he, Mal and Felix were in no state to fight.

Sonia finally replied, her voice far too quiet for Raphael to hear, especially over the vicious wind.

"What's that?" Odette put a hand to her ear, speaking loudly and with a painfully irritating singsong note. "I can't hear you! You're going to have to be a little louder!"

Sonia growled something back. Her expression, taut and tight, finally snapped.

And with that snap came a wave of powerful force which smashed into Raphael and rattled him down to his bones. The pink wisps became streamed gusts, Sonia the epicentre. The blast was so strong it ripped him from his little bush of sanctuary and back into another tree. His head cracked against the wood, pain sparking across his skull, and the world tipped suddenly over to the side. He blinked, incredibly dizzy, and he was so disoriented it was like his consciousness had momentarily unplugged from his body.

When it finally faded and proper vision had returned, the first thing he saw a teary Sonia holding Zorua.

Then he saw everything else.

Raphael blinked, shaking his head. For a moment, he thought the hit to his head was still in effect. The trees around the clearing looked like traffic-light poles which had been run into by overly-enthusiastic cars. Bushes had been ripped from the ground, dirt had been rather upset and tufts of grass had ended up in rather unorthodox places that Arceus had surely not intended for them to be. Luckily, it seemed to have done the trick; Odette and the other Team Rocket members were nowhere to be seen.

Raphael moved his feet. Then his hands. Then his arms, and legs, moving through his body in the methodical way he'd been taught by Bruno. Nothing seemed to scream like an angry Exploud, so Raphael stood up slowly. Dully, he realised Sola's Poké Ball was still in his hand. Carefully, he picked his way over to Felix and Mal.

Sonia stood solemnly, shaking, her head bowed. Raphael's heart jumped; Zorua's body was limp, the little prankster's limbs in awkward angles. Streaks of blood marred Sonia's hands and sleeve.

"Everyone. Put your hands on my shoulders." Sonia's voice was on the verge of cracking. "And don't let go."

Ma, always trusting, nodded and put his hand on Sonia's arm.

His forehead creased, Felix hesitantly did the same. "What happened to Zorua?"

Sonia didn't answer him.

Raphael was a lot more hesitant. After that blast, he didn't want to be near her, much less touch her.

Sonia raised her head, eyes dull, staring at Raphael. "Raphael, I am happy to leave without you. Zorua takes priority."

Capitulating, Raphael slowly edged forward. "What're you going to do?"

"Teleport us to Viridian City's Pokémon Centre." Sonia tried to stay matter of fact, but Raphael could hear the dark undertones of grief.

Raphael slowly put his hand on her shoulder, all his common sense screaming that it was a bad idea. "Are you sure this is safe right now?"

"No." Sonia sniffed. "Oh. And don't throw up on me."

Raphael felt his stomach immediately lurch in protest. "Wha—?!"

Before he could say another word, Sonia closed her eyes.

Raphael felt everything _lurch._ He was out of place, out of time, the ultimate discomfort. The universe had placed him on a vertice on the chessboard of existence rather than properly on a square. His bones were in then out. His lungs were somewhere utterly wrong. His brain was upside down and topsy-turvy. It lasted for both an eternity and no time at all.

Next thing Raphael knew, he was in Viridian City and he had a _lot_ of lunch to lose. Before he even caught his breath Raphael's gaze zeroed in on a bush and he ran, tossing his cookies all over the poor shrubbery. He could almost hear the plaintive cry of 'I don't want your cookies!'

Still slightly green in the face and sick in the stomach, Raphael finally realised exactly where he was; facing the Pokémon Centre. Eternally grateful for the existence of those blessed institutions he shakily made his way in and collapsed on the nearest available seat.

Raphael looked over at the counter and at Nurse Joy. He'd get Sola and Lune to her soon… But in all fairness, _he_ needed a bit of breather too.

They were beaten up, ragged, had escaped kidnapping by a knife's edge, and were very, _very_ nauseous, but they had survived. At that moment, holding his stomach, the taste of vomit fresh in his mouth, that was victory enough for Raphael.


	7. Chapter 7

It seemed that life really had it out for him today.

So of course, there was the Team Rocket attack. Lune still hadn't recovered all the way from that; his confidence couldn't be repaired by a healing machine. Then there was Sonia's teleportation—Arceus, Raphael hoped he never had to do that again—and after a somewhat indignified tossing of cookies and a frantic wait for some of the Pokémon to get better, here he was, walking to the police station.

On an empty stomach. Perhaps the worst injustice of all.

"Come on already!" Raphael cried impatiently. "We have to get there quickly, before Team Rocket leaves the area!"

"It's fine, Raph," Felix said, but his tone belied nervousness. "There's no point to rushing. They're probably already long gone."

Raphael nodded detachedly. His feet were itching to run, his whole body tense and tingling, ready to literally sprint into action. Something was telling him to get there as fast as possible, and that something was screaming at him for letting the others hold him back.

Raphael distracted himself by thinking of battle strategies. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a mistake. Raphael was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by his foot landing on something soft, uneven and slightly squishy. Unfortunately, it was not a marshmallow, but rather a Persian's foot. It rewarded him with with an angry yowl and a scratch across the ankle.

Raphael half-limped the rest of the way to the station.

Now, of course, once they got there it was a whole other story. Social conduct, politeness and general normality dictated that Raphael, Mal and Felix should enter calmly and explain their situation in a rational manner. But Raphael had no idea how to even start, and he doubted the other two knew either.

It was a really bad time to be right.

All three of them just looked around somewhat aimlessly and sort of awkwardly. All of Raphael's experiences with the police were movies. Were they supposed to go up and talk to an officer? Did they announce themselves? No one was even noticing them.

"Please, we need help!" Raphael shouted. His voice trembled; he hadn't meant to be that loud. "We… We've been attacked!"

Every head in close vicinity turned to them.

Raphael's mouth immediately dried up. He tried to talk, but a croak came out. He swallowed, trying to wash away the dry feeling and taste in his mouth. Raphael could feel the sweat on his back, sticking his shirt to his skin, and the beads forming on his temples. He could feel himself shaking, even as he tried to stop himself. He was cold and clammy all over, like he had a fever. Felix and Mal were both as pale as a terrified Ice-type, and Raphael could guess he was too. The lot of them were shaking, swaying like they were about to fall over.

This must've been enough proof, right?

Raphael felt his mouth open, and words just started pouring out. His memories clamoured for his attention, pushing and shoving to the front of the line to be spoken, and everything he remembered from the attack just flowed out. Felix joined in, babbling and jumping in, and Mal's stutter.

"Calm down, boys. Nothing will happen with the lot of you babbling and exhausted like that."

Raphael's mouth magically sealed itself.

Officer Jenny smiled at them, in that crooked way that signalled she was slowly appraising them but trying to be nice at the same time. "Great start. Are you three okay? You all look… Well, like you've been attacked."

"I'm okay," Raphael and Felix stammered out. Mal went for his inhaler.

Suddenly, something smacked Raphael in the forehead. He'd forgotten to introduce them. "Oh, uh, Officer… I'm Raphael d'Alcott. These are my friends, Mal Thrones and Felix Verity."

"Officer, we were attacked by Team Rocket!" Felix blurted out.

It was like 'Team Rocket' were trigger words. Everything seemed to mobilise at once; people jumped and turned to stare and a swarm of clerks and officers came forward to the three boys.

They were shoved back onto the track of an official, proper testimony. A blue-haired secretary offered them mugs of hot chocolate with actual non-Persian-paw marshmallows in them, and asked the Pokémon if they wanted some too (which Felix greatly appreciated). One of the officers, a broad-shouldered and dark skinned man with a distinctly fatherly smile, offered them blankets and soothing words in a ridiculously calming and reassuring voice that almost had magical properties. He lead them to the waiting room and sat them down, telling them they'd be brought in for an interview soon. With one last smile, he left them.

After a minute, Officer Jenny came in and took Felix for an interview. She was all smiles, but Felix still looked ready to bite off all his fingernails from nervousness.

It wasn't long before Raphael was fidgeting. He was nervous too. Extremely nervous. A nervous wreck, even if he didn't want to admit it. And he released nervous energy by moving and fidgeting.

But he couldn't help but be nervous. With all his training and preparation, he'd expected to be able to handle anything a journey could throw at him. The battle with Team Rocket was not something he'd been prepared to face, and that terrified him. It didn't even look like they'd been trying; they were just a training exercise or something. Without any effort, they'd just come in and swept him, a Psychic, the heir to the Thrones family and the most naturally gifted breeder Raphael had ever heard of.

It wasn't just the fact Team Rocket had crushed them. Even the way they'd crushed them was putting Raphael on edge. Janette had curb-stomped him. Running the battle over in his mind, it was clear she'd been going easy on him. She'd been in absolute control of the fight the whole time, and they both knew it. She was more skilled than most aspiring trainer Raphael had met, the type who spent every free second of their day battling and preparing for battling.

Raphael hated to admit it. He really, really did. But if Sonia hadn't blown up when she had, Janette would have finished him off. And she would have absolutely destroyed him.

"Raphael…?"

Raphael broke out of his reverie. Mal's concerned voice punctured through the fog of nervousness, and Raphael met eyes with his pseudo-brother.

"Sorry, Mal." He blew out a breath, jiggling his foot up and down. "I'm just… Well, I can't stop thinking about it. The battle with Janette, I just— I keep going over it again and again in my head." He forced a laugh. "Can't stop thinking about it."

Mal smiled. "It's understandable."

Raphael sighed heavily. "It's just not fair. It's not how this was supposed to go! This was supposed to be a big, awesome day for us. Our big first step." He held up his hand in front of him, as though he was telling an epic tale. "Two brothers against the world, travelling Kanto, beating the Gym Leaders, catching Pokémon and... Having fun."

Mal chuckled slightly. Raphael smiled, glad to have gotten a laugh, and dropped his hand. "I'm just a bit pissed off it didn't happen, y'know?"

Raphael was shocked to feel a warmth in his eyes, a soft sting, a wetness. Was he… Crying?

"Raphael." Mal's voice was soft, but strong. "You are one of the strongest people I have ever met. This was supposed to be 'our day', perhaps, but it's also another episode of life, and sometimes life doesn't let us have everything as we like it. But you are one of those people who always picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and kept on going. Don't break that pattern now; it would be a shame."

Raphael laughed; a real laugh this time. "Yeah… You know what? You're right. I am just whining."

Mal raised his eyebrows. "And you can stop worrying about Sonia and I. You and I are practically brothers, and befriending her doesn't stop me from being that brother."

Raphael froze. "Arceus, Mal. I..."

"It's all right." Mal looked out the window. "I understand. It feels like I am betraying you, but trust me, Raphael, I am doing anything but. A friendship with her is not going to change anything between us." He looked back to Raphael, gaze strong. He smiled. "And I won't let it."

Raphael could feel the wetness again. "Dammit, Mal, you're gonna make me cry! Stop it with the awesome speeches already!"

The two laughed, and Raphael went back to fidgeting and thinking.

"Raphael."

"Hm?" Raphael turned back to Mal.

"Promise me something." Mal's gaze was fiercely determined, and Raphael almost jumped away when he saw that fire. "Do not use this as a chance to get rid of Sonia. Don't try to twist it so she is to blame. I can see that you think so."

Raphael felt his eyes narrow reflexively. "So what if I do? They went for Zorua first and Odette, hands down the most powerful member of their team, targeted Sonia. It looked like the rest just battled us to keep us busy. It's as though the attack was aimed at her. And if it was, then she's a danger to have around."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "Zorua is statistically by far the rarest Pokémon of all of ours, and has the most powerful and unusual ability. Of course they would go for her first. Secondly, Odette's targeting Sonia could simply have been another form of keeping her busy. Psychic against Psychic? I doubt the others would have been able to deal with it if Sonia lashed out with her powers."

Raphael shrugged. "Fine about Zorua, but about Odette, it's just another possibility. And I think them targeting her is what actually happened."

Mal raised both eyebrows. "Occam's Razor. Confirmation bias."

Raphael felt his jaw tighten.

Mal shook his head. "Raphael, please. I know that you have a very good reason for disliking Psychics, and I also know that you are not an extremist. But what you are is inflammatory. It's as though you want her to hate you, to confirm how you feel about Psychics."

"She's been starting most of it so far," Raphael pointed out. "You can't blame it all on me."

Mal sighed. "I am not going to get into a 'who started it' debate. Regardless, I want a promise; don't sink so low and try to kick her out of our group. You and her have had mostly one big rough patch so far, but for your sake and the group's, we can still smooth it over." Mal smiled. "If not for her, for me."

That last one gave Raphael a pause. If he did try to get Sonia kicked out, Mal would probably never quite forgive him for it, and Raphael didn't want even a single blemish like that on their friendship.

Raphael smiled reluctantly. "Alright. I promise I won't blame her for the attack."

Mal gave a huge sigh of relief. It looked like he'd been holding his breath. "Thank—"

They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Felix came through, Officer Jenny holding it open.

"Malcolm Thrones, if you could please come in next?"

Mal stood, and Felix gave him a queasy smile as he sat down. When the door closed, Felix sank against the chair.

"Oh, man…" He groaned. "That was not how I wanted to spend my day."

"How about we talk about other stuff then?" Raphael suggested.

The two quickly fell into a discussion about how the Pokémon were feeling after what had happened. Raphael couldn't help but think of his team. Back at Ashford, they had literally never lost a single battle. It was kind of difficult and kind of depressing to go from that to a loss to Felix and to Janette. It didn't matter that he knew and told himself that one was his weakness and one outclassed him; it still rankled.

Talking about the attack was making Raphael feel worse, so he decided to open a new topic of conversation. "Felix, I need you to ask Sola and Lune something. I want to know what they want to evolve into."

Felix grinned. "Whew, glad you asked! I've seen a lot of trainers just go ahead without even thinking about it." Felix paused, then cocked his head. "You know, you don't need me to communicate with them."

Raphael frowned. "What do you mean? You talk to Pokémon. I'm just normal."

Felix laughed. "You don't need to talk to Pokémon to talk to Pokémon." He paused. "If you get what I mean, I mean."

Raphael stared at him.

Felix laughed nervously. "Look, Raph, you can connect to Pokémon. A lot of humans can't; they connect superficially, or see Pokémon as little more than animals, or only in a scientific way. You are one of the few humans who can connect strongly enough with Pokémon to battle with them in harmony— Oh Arceus, now I just sound cheesy." Felix grinned sheepishly. "In short— you already have the talent of communication with Pokémon. As all the old sayings go, your heart is united with theirs." Felix grinned. "All I have is an acrobatic tongue which can appropriate itself into hundreds of languages."

Raphael couldn't help but laugh. Felix was weird, but right.

They sat in almost-silence plus the sound of fidgeting until the door opened again.

"Lucky last." Officer Jenny smiled at Raphael. "Raphael d'Alcott?"

Raphael stood, but his legs felt like dead weight. He walked awkwardly to the door, his legs heavy and leaden.

The room beyond was innocuous. Two chairs, a table, plain colours all around, a recording device placed in the centre of the table. Raphael still felt a shiver trail through his spine.

Officer Jenny sat in one of the chairs, gesturing for Raphael to sit opposite. As he did, it struck Raphael how odd it was that there was an Officer Jenny everywhere. He remembered a conversation with Mal, where the other boy had hypothesised that it was a symbol of trust for people to feel safe with the police force everywhere because there was someone they recognised.

"…d'Alcott?"

Raphael jumped. "Y-yeah?"

Officer Jenny smiled. "I know this can be stressful, but I need you to stay calm. Can you do that?"

Raphael nodded.

"And are you okay with this being recorded?" Officer Jenny gestured to the recording device. "So we can review your testimony later."

Raphael nodded again.

"Okay." Jenny pressed a button on the recording device. "Interview for Raphael d'Alcott on case number 1476547. Mr. d'Alcott has expressed his permission in being interviewed and the recording of interview for analysis and review of the reported crime. Mr. d'Alcott, under oath and in line with the law, do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?"

Raphael nodded. "I swear." His tongue felt funny, as though he'd just tied it into a knot.

"All right, let's start with what you remember of the occurrence."

The whole thing dragged out forever and went by in the blink of an eye. Probably because it all blurred together; if he wasn't so stressed, he might have been able to remember it. As it was, he just answered every question reflexively, like he was a calculator and the answer button was just being pressed over and over and over.

"Now, one last question." Officer Jenny smiled. Raphael sighed inwardly with relief. Officer Jenny looked him straight in the eye. "Of the testimonies, the order of events all seems to be pretty much the same. Nothing out of the ordinary. Now, one of the events is your companion Sonia Darkin's Zorua being taken by Team Rocket. I just need some clarification on your interpretation of the events; from you it sounds like Team Rocket were targeting Miss Darkin and you three were simply roped into the situation by virtue of being her companions. Is this what you meant?"

Raphael paused. Had he said all of that? He'd been on autopilot. Thinking back on it, he probably had. "Well, I… Maybe. I mean, it could have been her, but I don't know, really. I guess it's just how I saw it." That wasn't breaking his deal with Mal, was it? "It's just a possibility to keep in mind."

"Indeed." Officer Jenny nodded her head. "We'll bring up her profile on the IPR, just in case." Officer Jenny pressed the button on the recorder and stood. "Thank you for your time, Mr d'Alcott."

"Th-thanks." Raphael smiled and stood, trying to keep the shakiness out of his voice.

Officer Jenny lead him back to the waiting room. Raphael gladly joined his friends. A weight had been lifted from him, and that weight had been the only thing that had stopped him from shaking like a leaf.

"You three are free to go. I promise we'll look into this, okay? We take everything seriously." Officer Jenny crossed her arms. "You are going to continue your journey, right?"

Raphael grinned. "Yeah from me! I'm not gonna let a bunch of arseholes — 'scuse my language — stop me from doing one of the most important things in my life!"

Officer Jenny laughed. "That's the right attitude! And you two?"

Felix shrugged, smiling awkwardly. "If Raph's doing it, I'm doing it."

Raphael held up a hand to Felix with a grin. Felix looked confused for a moment, then high-fived him.

Mal smiled. "I will follow Raphael."

Officer Jenny grinned back. "Good luck, boys. Don't let this sort of thing get you down!"

Raphael mimed tipping his hat, recovering his confidence. "Don't worry, officer. We won't."

Raphael stood out on the cusp of the route, right next to the entrance of the city. Felix had been jittery about coming out, worrying about Team Rocket, but the police had been notified and they were right next to the city— Team Rocket probably wouldn't risk it.

Raphael sighed. He was out here looking for another member for his team— Sola and Lune wouldn't win him the League by themselves, no matter how awesome they were.

"Why're you so glum? I would've thought getting the chance to battle wild Pokémon, befriend one and start battling with a whole new style would be super exciting for you!"

"It's just that I can't pick whichever Pokémon I want." Raphael sighed. "The League's being stupid. They're all like 'pick only Kanto Pokémon and stuff since you're representing the region' and all that."

"Only Kanto Pokémon? What do they mean by that? Like, only Pokémon endemic to Kanto?"

Raphael nodded. "Think so."

"Hm." Felix frowned for a moment, then the boy's usual smile returned. "Anyway, I want to see you battle a wild Pokémon. I want to see if they hit your weakness too."

They began the hunt for a Pokémon. It wasn't long until they stumbled on a pair of Pidgey; Felix pushed Raphael down into the bushes and eagerly watched like an obsessive scientist. As they watched, one of the Pidgey, one with a feather which drooped in front its face, fought off the second, larger one. The smaller Pidgey with the feather blew what looked like a Gust attack at the larger one. The larger one gave the smaller a dirty look, then flapped off, its flight wobbly. The smaller Pidgey grinned, chirping.

"Wow," Felix breathed. "Okay, you're battling that Pidgey."

"I am?" Raphael looked up at Felix, but before he could even keep talking, Felix had leapt over the bush and pulled Raphael out.

"Pidge!" Felix called. "Pidgey, pidgey pidge!" Felix continued in this general fashion, adding chirps along the way.

The Pidgey rolled its eyes, but stood its ground, its wings unfurling slightly in a battle-ready stance.

Raphael grinned, reaching into his bag and bringing out Lune's Poké Ball. "Heya there, Pidgey! Meet Lune!"

Raphael threw the Poké Ball and Lune appeared in the red haze, ready for battle. But there was a slight hesitation in his stance.

"Lune?" Raphael asked. "You okay?"

Lune nodded, but Raphael could feel his hesitation. Raphael knelt down beside his friend. "Hey, Lune. Forget Janette. Janette only beat us because she was much, much better. But we're gonna get that strong. We're gonna get so strong that when we battle Janette we'll crush her. But we won't get that strong unless we train and practice and build our team." Raphael grinned. "So come on! Get back that confidence I know you have! We're on a journey!"

Lune nodded, the sparkle rejuvenated in his eyes.

The Pidgey chirped, cocking its head to the side and raising an eyebrow.

Felix chuckled nervously. "She asked if you were done yet. Rather… Um, sarcastically."

"Ha!" Raphael grinned. "You know sarcasm is the lowest form of wit."

The Pidgey rolled her eyes and chirped again.

Felix winced. "She responded 'and the highest form of humour'…"

Lune nodded his head slowly, as if appreciating something. "Vee, vee vee."

Felix nodded back. "Yeah, she is like Raphael, quite a lot."

Raphael laughed. "Sounds like you're a perfect fit, Pidgey! What d'you say? Battle me, join my team?"

In response, the Pidgey burst up from the ground and slammed her wings powerfully downward. A Gust of air ploughed into Lune, sending him flying backwards, blowing dust into everyone's faces. Lune flipped over and landed in a ready stance, expression determined.

Flapping her wings, the Pidgey smiled and cocked her head, chirping again.

"'Don't mind if I do,'" Felix translated.

Raphael smiled. "Swift!"

Lune yowled, leaping up and blasting the Swift full speed at Pidgey. Pidgey nose-dived, the white light of a Quick Attack enveloping her. Flying at high speed Pidgey suddenly pulled out and shot towards Lune, pulled a barrel roll at the last moment to avoid him and shot past Raphael. Lune was too surprised to dodge as the stars of his own Swift smashed into his face.

Raphael and Lune cried out with surprise together. The dust barely cleared from the impact of the swift before Pidgey's Quick Attack smashed into Lune from behind.

"Wow," Raphael breathed. This Pidgey was good. He might not have been able to translate her every chirp, but he knew how to tell if a Pokémon had talent. But he wasn't about to let this Pidgey win, good or not.

"Lune, Swift again!"

Lune shook the Quick Attack off and let out another blast of stars. Pidgey enveloped herself in white light, but this time, she didn't go for Lune; cleverly, realising Lune would expect it, she instead darted to the trees on either side, weaving through them like a masterfully trained aeronaut, the stars smashing into trunks and branches. With another barrel roll, nose-dive and figure-eight loop, Pidgey was free of the Swift.

Raphael opened his mouth to call another move, but Pidgey beat him to it with a powerful Gust.

"Dodge it!" Raphael cried. Lune dashed to the side, but he had to leap and land hard on his side just to avoid the powerful attack. He was barely getting back up again before Pidgey was rushing him with a tackle.

"Sand Attack!" Raphael called.

Lune slammed his paw into the ground, spraying dirt out in front of him just as Pidgey closed in. With a screech, Pidgey blindly smashed into Lune. Lune easily took the hit as Pidgey thrashed her wings, trying to scramble away. She flapped, gaining height, shaking her head and trying to get the sand and dirt from her eyes.

"Quick Attack!" Raphael called. "Bite down on her talons and drag her to the ground!"

Lune instantly responded, leaping up. He arced through the air majestically, his jaws snapping down on Pidgey's talon. As he came down, he slammed Pidgey into the ground.

Pidgey immediately began to thrash against Lune, trying to hit him with Gust attacks from her position on the ground.

"Tackle!" Raphael cried. "Smash her into a tree!"

As Pidgey raised herself up, thrashing her wings, Lune dropped her talon, slammed his head into her chest and began to charge. Pidgey screeched as Lune smashed her into a tree, the whole thing shaking with impact.

"Swift!" Raphael called.

Lune prepared a close-up Swift, but Pidgey wrestled her way out and thrashed into the sky. But she had a wobble in her flight; it was now or never.

"Swift, then Quick Attack!" Raphael cried.

With a yowl, Lune charged at Pidgey, firing stars into the air. Pidgey only had time to blink and look up as the stars slammed into her, Lune leaping into the air in an arc and crashing down onto Pidgey. The two Pokémon hit the ground in a shower of dust, Lune on top. When it cleared, Pidgey was on the ground, wings splayed out, Lune's paws pressing down each wing.

Raphael started to head over, nodding to Lune. Lune eased up slightly. Raphael smiled at the little bird Pokémon. "Truce? You made a choice yet?"

Pidgey screeched something loudly.

Felix frowned. "She said something along the lines of 'not quite'—"

Pidgey suddenly slammed her head into Lune's chest, with all the combined auric force of a Tackle. Lune was thrown back and Pidgey pushed herself back up with her wings in a surprisingly human manner.

Pidgey shook out her wings, ruffling her feathers and cracking her neck. She planted her talons and nodded sharply, and cawed something loudly.

Felix grinned. "Now she has. She says yes."

Lune lifted his paw up with an "Ee, eiuvei!"

Pidgey grinned and shook his paw with her talon. "Pidgey!"

Raphael offered his arm. After a moment, Pidgey flew up to land on it.

"Do you have a name?" Raphael asked. He swept his arm towards Felix. "If so, the translator listens."

Pidgey chirped something.

Felix grinned at Raphael. "Her name is Stryker!"

Raphael grinned too. "Stryker! Nice to meet you, Stryker."

"Eevee?" Lune furrowed his brow. "Ee, eiuvei, vee vee—"

One moment, Lune was speaking and Stryker was on Raphael's arm. The next, Lune was running away yelling and Stryker was pecking at him like Arceus knew what.

Raphael stared at Felix. "What'd he say?"

Felix burst into laughter. "He said 'seems rather boyish for a cute little female Pidgey like yourself.'"

Raphael burst out laughing. "Really, Lune? Really? You just battled her!"

Lune yelled something back.

"He said 'moment of weakness'," Felix translated.

Raphael grinned. "Come on Lune, Stryker! Let's get back to the Pokémon Centre."

The Pokémon fell in, and Raphael wore the grin all the way back. Lune's confidence was restored and he had a strong new teammate. Today had been a good day.


	8. Chapter 8

What was the best way to spend quality time with a new team member?

Watch two of the greatest trainers in the world have an exhibition match.

Sometimes it sucked, being part of the League—it involved getting dragged to annoyingly important events in which he had to make a triple double quadruple other-things-ending-with-'le' effort to be sickeningly nice. But sometimes he hit solid gold. This was one of those times; Cynthia was in Kanto, and of course, the League weren't going to miss an opportunity to wring as much awesomeness out of the visit as they could. An exhibition match against Blue was the perfect way. And Raphael got free tickets.

"These guys are awesome, Stryker," Raphael told his newest team member as they got off the bus at Indigo Stadium. "You'll learn tons just from watching them!"

Stryker ruffled her wings, sitting on Raphael's shoulder. Raphael was no expert on Pidgey expressions, but it seemed like she was trying to look like she didn't care despite the gleeful glint in her eyes.

Sola and Lune leapt off the bus behind Raphael, jogging up to walk beside him. Raphael grinned at them, the Eevee twins gave their versions of smiles back, and they started the walk up to the entrance.

Raphael fished his tickets out of his pocket, frowning. It felt like a waste, not using that plus one ticket—but Mal was busy learning from Nurse Joy (and didn't want to spend a chunk of his life on a long bus ride just to see 'one battle'), Felix wasn't as much a fan of battles and seemed to prefer spending time otherwise and a Snorlax would go on a diet before Raphael invited Sonia to an event with him.

Raphael could see the queue, now; it was as long as… Well, something so absurdly long he couldn't think of it. "Thank Arceus we can weasel our way in through the VIP entrance, huh? Wouldn't want to get stuck in that line."

Stryker rolled her eyes. "Pidgey, pi, pi," she squawked. Then she pointed to the stadium with a wing, then flew up high and dived back down.

"Uhh… Oh! You mean you could fly in and watch for free anyway?" Raphael asked.

Stryker nodded.

Raphael was about to answer back when, in the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a Houndoom positively rippling with muscle. The lithe creature padded over to a similarly lithe girl with defined muscles under tanned skin and blond hair; despite the chill she wore a yellow tank top, her jacket slung over her arm. The Houndoom gave a heavy sigh before pacing away again. The girl seemed to be arguing with one of the ushers, brandishing a piece of paper.

Raphael found himself walking towards her before he'd consciously thought about it. Stryker snickered, chirping something to the Eevee twins. Sola giggled slightly, but Lune's expression hardened as he huffed.

"You guys," Raphael chided. Closer now, he could see two other Pokémon which were clearly with the girl; a Heracross with a certain sheen to its wings, and an impressively sized Umbreon which seemed to be glowing even in the sunlight.

"Rules are rules, miss," the usher tried again. He looked rather flustered. "Look, the scanner won't take the barcode, so I can't let you in. I really can't—"

"Tauros dung to that! I bought and paid for this ticket online, on your site, sure as anything; you're not telling me the League are scammers, are you? Are you?"

Raphael almost would have sympathised with the usher, faced with such a powerful onslaught—if the whole thing hadn't been, as the girl aptly put it, Tauros dung.

"Hey!" Raphael called out. He flashed his trainer ID and both tickets. "I got a spare ticket, one person and three Pokémon—looks like it's just what you need!" He held it out. "How's about you join me in some of the best seats in the stadium?"

Usher and girl both stared and blinked in shock. The girl snapped out of it first, turning to him and almost incredulously reaching for the ticket in his hand. "...For real?"

Raphael smiled. "Yeah! It'd be awful for anyone to have to miss out on something as awesome as this because of some glitch or whatever."

"Wow." The girl's eyes went round. "Holy—thank you!" She took the ticket, almost reverently, exchanging glances with her Pokémon.

"Come on," Raphael said, jerking his head. "This way! We get to cut the queues; I didn't say best seats sarcastically!"

The girl followed, almost dreamlike. It was only the usher bumping into the queue barrier as he stumbled to get to the rest of the line that snapped the girl out of it, making her round back on him.

"Rest assured, I'll be complaining!" She yelled. "So don't you go cheating anyone else out of seeing the match!"

The poor guy was so terrified he nodded.

The girl huffed as she turned to walk beside Raphael, her Pokémon following.

"Wow," Raphael said. "You know, it isn't his fault… Don't shoot the messenger and all?"

They got to the VIP door, Raphael waving his ID to get them through, and they started climbing the stairs.

"I know, I know…" She sighed, then shot the door they'd come through a dark look. "Doesn't make it any less frustrating." Her expression morphed into a grin faster than it had gone dark. "Ah, well! At least I can get in! Thanks for the save, man—like, you don't even know me! Major niceness, right there!"

Raphael smiled. "Well, what was I supposed to do with that spare ticket? It would've been cruel to just keep walking!" He held his hand out. "Raphael d'Alcott. Nice to meet you! I'm a new trainer; just started this week, actually."

The girl clasped his hand with a powerful grip, shaking once and letting go. "Emily O'Brian," she said with a grin. Then she stopped, slack-jawed. "Holy Arceus. That's where I know you from."

Raphael frowned. "What—?"

Emily stared at him. "Raphael d'Alcott as in the trainer the Kanto League is sponsoring! And… Simon Bennett?"

Raphael's step faltered slightly. "...Yeah."

The girl's joyful expression receded slightly, her gaze flickering down. "Um. I'm sorry. Uh… Arceus, this is awkward." She ran a hand over her hair, blowing out a breath. "I'm so sorry… At least he died for a cause he believed in? Doing the right thing?"

"Yeah." Raphael felt the urge to move on, to finish the climb, to move past this. "It's fine, really. Look, I… This sounds bad, but I don't even remember him, much."

Emily laughed slightly, the sort of laugh that comes out when there's so much tension and one doesn't know what else to do. "Uh, let's change the subject, yeah?" She turned to her Pokémon. "This is Umber, my partner—he's been my buddy since he was a little Eevee. This is Vex—I thought I was being so clever when I named him; vex, like, something 'bugging' you, yeah? So stupid when I was younger. But, Vex just loves vexing me, and he wouldn't let me change the name—somehow, we're best friends, and I'll really never understand it. Such an annoying bug, huh?" She winked at the Heracross, who made a chuckling sound in response. Emily then pointed at the Houndoom. "And this is Hunt! He nearly single-handedly got me the Hive Badge. Best friends ever since!"

"Nice to meet you guys!" Raphael said, accompanied by the greetings of his own team. "You can just call me Raph. This is Sola, Lune, and Stryker."

They finally reached the top of the stairs, and Raphael opened the door. They came out into one of the boxes, with a perfect, unobstructed but not too far away view of the battlefield. Emily's jaw dropped.

"Holy Arceus… This is amazing!" She checked her ticket thrice to get her and her team seated, still blinking in disbelief. Raphael grinned and sat down next to her, his Pokémon fanning out beside him.

They only had to wait a few more minutes before a gregarious and powerful voice blared out through the speakers, echoing in the stadium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon of all shapes and sizes! Welcome to the Indigo Stadium! Who here in Kanto is pleased to have Sinnoh's own Cynthia joining us today?!"

There was a resounding roar of approval from the crowd.

"Who wouldn't, am I right?!" The announcer's voice continued. "And to celebrate her coming, we here at the Indigo Stadium have the honour of bringing you an exhibition match between two of the finest trainers in the world; please welcome to the arena, Champions Blue Oak and Cynthia Shirona!"

"It's really her, it's really her, it's really her!" Emily nudged Umber so hard with her elbow the well-built Dark-type was actually pushed a few centimetres. "I can't believe it!"

Raphael was right there with her. Blue and Cynthia both walked out onto opposite ends of the pitch. Raphael had seen Blue innumerable times in person before; so far back like this, it even felt like a let-down. But Cynthia—Cynthia he had never seen before in front of him, not even in all the years he'd been with the League. She waved to the crowd with a smile from were Raphael was sitting, her long blonde hair fanning around her. She wore her iconic outfit, the black, seemingly unchanged and timeless from her previous appearance.

The waving only lasted for a few moments before she turned away, serene and calm as if nobody was even there, and it was just her and Blue. Blue waved and smiled the whole way there. Cynthia's manner was something else—like still water in an untouched pond, immune to ripples and waves. It was so rare to see her take up the offer for an exhibition battle, and here she was, in front of him, the same way she always appeared on screen—the battling fanboy inside of Raphael was having a meltdown.

Cynthia was, more so than even Blue, his idol. The best trainer in the whole world.

"Before we begin, the rules!" The announcer cried out over the roar of the crowd. "Our two Champions will have three one-on-one battles, each with a ten minute time limit. Champions! Please choose your first Pokémon!"

Blue threw a Poké Ball into the air from his bag, caught it again, then powered a heavy throw into the centre of the battlefield. "Izanami! Let's go!" A massive Venusaur formed, the Poké Ball propelled back to Blue's hand.

Cynthia nodded, then took out her own Poké Ball. "Shirogane," she said, and the whole stadium seemed to fall into a hush just to hear her. "The time has come."

Perfectly still one moment, an arc of elegant motion the next; she threw her Poké Ball, and from it emerged perhaps one of the strongest Pokémon alive in the world today. Shirogane, the Garchomp.

The crowd's cheering somehow got even louder than it had been before.

"Battle begins in three! Two! One! ...Begin!"

Cynthia seemed to come alive, as if before she'd been an ancient guardian waiting to be awakened. "Gane! Flamethrower!"

"Frenzy Plant, Izanami!" Blue snapped his fingers.

The Garchomp sprang into the air like a coiled spring, shooting through the air like a bullet. Flame burst from its maw like nothing Raphael had ever seen before, so hot and bright that he swore he could feel it from where he was.

Blue's Venusaur roared, and the roar resonated through the stadium like a call from prehistoric times. The ground rumbled, roots bursting from the dirt and sweeping up to meet the flames. In a simultaneous moment as the fire burst into existence and the roots came from the ground, the Venusaur jumped back.

The moves collided in an epic display of power, flames burning and breaking through roots and more roots rising up to meet the flames and push them backward in a titanic back-and-forth.

"Earthquake!" Cynthia called.

The Garchomp dived, the flames dispersing with a burst of power. The Garchomp slammed into the ground, talons first, and all the force tore through the ground in a burst of seismic energy. Power ripped through the ground and Raphael recoiled, momentarily terrified of being caught in the terrible quake.

By the time Raphael looked back, Shirogane was nosediving at the Venusaur with an epic Dragon Rush.

"Frenzy Plant, again!" Blue swept his hand out.

Izanami's plant roots shot up to meet Shirogane in mid air, battling through the Dragon Rush. The dragon Pokémon and roots collided in a burst of Dragon-type power, spraying purple stardust through the air. In an exhibition match, the Pokémon and trainers made an effort to make their moves just that much more aesthetic; like a contest, but with all the strength of a battle.

"Giga Impact!" Cynthia called.

"Solar Beam!" Blue commanded.

The Giga Impact bared down on Izanami with a rush of sound and a roar from the crowd. Izanami simply braced itself, building up power.

Shirogane smashed into Izanami with a practically visible shockwave of concussive force. The Venusaur roared as it was forced back through the dirt of the field, spewing soil and dust. But the light of the Solar Beam shone through the dust.

As Shirogane shot away, aura temporarily unusable from the exertion of the Giga Impact, Blue raised his hand. "Fire!"

"Flamethrower!" Cynthia cried.

The Solar Beam flashed forward, blinding, powerful, all consuming. Shirogane stood, summoning energy, the Solar Beam mere inches from contact—

Fire flared from Shirogane's maw, a hot plume of blinding white-hot flames so large they eclipsed the Solar Beam. The two attacks collided in a burst of energy and a shower of luminescence, a burst of embers and sparks of light filling the whole stadium.

And Raphael sat enraptured.

By the time the three battles had come to pass, his throat was hoarse from the cheering, his ears deaf from the crowd and his own heartbeat. When the announcer called time and thanked the two Champions and their Pokémn for their brilliant show, Raphael felt like he'd been pulled back into reality. During that half an hour, as stupid as it sounded, it was like he'd ascended, watching that.

"Holy Arceus." Emily's voice cut through any of the remaining fog. "That was like… That was like I was in a whole other world. Holy Suicune, they're amazing."

"Yeah," Raphael said. His voice felt unreal to his ears after the sounds of battle and cheering. "They are."

A buzz in Raphael's pocket made him jump. Fumbling, Raphael pulled out his phone to see a message from Lorelei.

 _Safe to say you enjoyed that, I presume. Come to the E4 box as soon as you are able. We need to talk._

Raphael looked up to see the box where the important people of the League, including the Elite Four, held reserved seats. He could just make out the top of Goodshow's head, and Lorelei.

Raphael stood up. "I got summoned somewhere. I have to go; you're welcome to walk with me, though!"

Emily grinned. "I'd like that. Come on, guys!"

Emily's team came to their feet. They seemed to elegant, so athletic, their movements so fluid, honed to near-perfection. For a split second, Emily coming up beside him, flanked by her Pokémon, Raphael could imagine her as a Champion.

As they started walking, Raphael turned to her. "So, you're a trainer, obviously. What's the story?"

Emily smiled. "I'm from Johto, originally. Me, these three and another three buddies beat every Gym."

Raphael nearly missed a step. "What?! Arceus, you did?"

Emily grinned. "Yeah!" She fished in her bag for a moment, before producing a badge case; shining there were all eight Johto badges, as well as the badges for Brock, Misty and Lt. Surge. "Me and my old team beat every Gym and came second place in the Silver Conference. Can you believe it? Second place. It's almost more frustrating than losing outright at the first round." She put her badge case away, still smiling.

"Definitely!" Raphael agreed. "Second place—it's just, argh! I get exactly how you feel."

Emily nodded. "At least I got there, though. Anyway, my other three buddies decided they liked Johto more and wanted a break from battling, so Umber, Vex, Hunt and I are looking for some prospective team members. Trouble is, it's so hard to find Pokémon on the same level as these guys."

"So who were your other three Pokémon?" Raphael asked, curious.

"Let's see—Flit? She was a Ninjask. Real spacehead, but she was amazing when she put her mind to it!" Emily recalled. "Had something of a nasty streak, sometimes, but she grew out of it."

Hunt howled his agreement, and Vex trilled his response.

"Then there was Sever. A Skarmory—he was so competitive, he'd peck us all awake to get two extra hours of training in for a week straight after we lost a battle. Then he ended up sending me to the hospital with that!" Emily laughed.

Raphael recoiled. "Wait, what—he did?"

"Yeah!" Emily nodded. "It was all fine, though—they got my side stitched up nicely, no complications, and Sever was so sweet about the whole thing! So awkward and self-conscious and embarrassed; he never woke us up like that again after that."

Umber gave a humph of laughter.

"And Illumine! Aw, Illumine was a real sweetie," Emily said earnestly. "A Lanturn; I actually met her by stepping on her when she was a Chinchou, when I went for a swim." Emily laughed. "And then she electrocuted me. Pretty awkward first meeting, am I right? So, what was it? Oh, yeah—through getting electrocuted, I somehow got it in my head that 'wow, that Chinchou is powerful!' and decided to catch her. Illumine really wasn't happy with me for a while, and I think she eventually decided to come with us out of pity—but eventually, she loved us!"

Vex buzzed loudly in response, nodding. Umber nodded, too, and Hunt gave a growly chuckle.

"So, what about you?" Emily asked. "What's the story with… What was it? Sola, Lune, and Stryker?"

"Yeah," Raphael said. "Sola and Lune have been my partners for years; my mother, she has an Umbreon, Corinne, and Sola and Lune are her children."

"Aw!" Emily said. She clapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, just—that's so cute!"

Sola smiled up at her with an encouraging 'vee!' even as Lune ducked his head.

Stryker pecked Raphael's ear, and he outright laughed. "And Stryker I only just met yesterday! She's an amazing fighter, though—you don't meet Pidgey like this every day! I mean, you don't meet Garchomp like Stryker every day, and they're almost super strong as a rule."

Emily nodded. "Impressive. Looks like you guys have the makings of a great team, huh? With all that League training too? From what I can see they picked right with you."

Raphael rubbed the back of his neck, self-conscious. "I hope so. You know, it never quite sunk in, but—it's an honour to meet you. Second place in the Silver Conference is pretty freaking amazing."

Emily actually blushed at that. "Thanks…"

Raphael stopped; they'd reached their destination. He sighed, and turned to Emily. "Well, it was awesome to meet you. I really hope we'll see each other again soon; good luck with your journey!"

"You too!" Emily said. She whipped out a phone from her pocket. "Quick, tell me your number? We can organise to meet up again whenever we end up in the same city."

After a quick exchange, Raphael and his team waved goodbye and knocked on the door to the box.

A smiling Mr Goodshow opened it. "Raphael! Come on in, come on in! We were just about to send someone looking for you!"

"Sorry," Raphael said sheepishly. "I met a new friend; she and I were talking on the way here… And it was kind of a long walk."

Mr Goodshow simply winked and beckoned Raphael inside.

Only Lorelei was there, leaning on a table, her pointed red nails tapping to a perfect rhythm. "Greetings, Raphael." She sighed. "Due to it being a common courtesy of social interaction, I am obligated to ask; how did you find the battle?"

"If the word 'awesome' ever actually needs to be used, it's here," Raphael said. All the excitement of before came flooding back, lifting him up. "Cynthia and Blue and their Pokémon are just… It's a, what do you call them, 'exact conflation of factors for a perfect storm'."

While he'd been talking, from behind him, Raphael heard the door open and shut with click. He didn't fully register it before hands had crushed him in a hug from behind.

"Of course I am, Raphy!" Blue said in his ear, ruffling his hair. "Nice to see you!"

Raphael grouched and pushed Blue off him, even as he fought off a smile. "Yeah, yeah. Champion Blue, the master and best in all of hair ruffling in Kanto." Raphael caught sight of something in the corner of his eye, and turned to greet Izanami. "Hey, Izanami! That was an awesome battle you had!"

The massive Grass-type let out a deep, powerful rumble in response, smiling.

Raphael glanced at his own team. "We're going to train to get as strong as you and Blue."

The Eevee twins nodded in unison. Stryker saluted Izanami with a wing.

"The term 'perfect storm' is typically used in negative connotation," Lorelei muttered. "This is all besides the point—"

"Oh, hey!" Blue cried. "Who's the cute little Pidgey?"

No sooner had he said that and Stryker's squawks had filled the room as she divebombed the Champion of Kanto.

"He didn't mean it, Stryker!" Raphael yelled out. "He's just an idiot! But he's a nice one, so please don't hurt him!"

Stryker swerved just before striking Blue, soaring back around to Raphael and settling back on his shoulder, giving dirty looks to him and Blue.

"Looks like a good addition to your team!" Goodshow chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Stryker!"

"This is all besides the point," Lorelei snapped again. She rose to stand, the tallest person in the room. "Raphael. You have continually complained about Sonia Darkin's presence in your travelling party."

"Yeah, sounds about right," Raphael interrupted, eyes narrowing. His heart clenched. He knew where this was going.

Lorelei's glare was like shards of ice, piercing into him. "And now we hear reports that you came to the police having been attacked by Team Rocket, and your attempts to malign her as the cause of the attack. An explanation is required."

Raphael sighed inwardly. "I just told the officer what happened. If that's how it came out, then maybe I'm on to something."

Goodshow shook his head. "This is serious business, Raphael. Are you sure they were targeting her?"

Raphael shrugged, eyes narrowing. And watching the battles had made him feel so good; now it was back to the gnawing anger and worry. "It sure seemed like it. They didn't grab Sola, or Lune, or even Su Lin. They went straight for Zorua, and their Psychic isolated Sonia."

Goodshow shook his head. "My, this is serious. I am glad you went to the police, Raphael—"

"And now you go congratulating him for having common sense. Is it not supposed to be common?" Lorelei's cold voice cut through Goodshow's warmth. She turned back to Raphael. "Give me an exact recount of the events which occurred on Route 1. Not a story, a recount, Raphael."

Gritting his teeth, Raphael forced the words out through the lurching and knotting in his stomach as the memories of Janette's battle came closer and closer to the surface again, pricking at his skin.

But after he was done, Lorelei's manner had greatly shifted. She frowned at the floor, thinking intently.

Raphael crossed his arms. "Oh, so now you—"

"Quiet," Lorelei said. "I am attempting to think."

After a pause, Lorelei straightened. "That is rather concerning."

Blue threw up his arms. "Seriously? He's just trying to get rid of her!"

Raphael glared at Blue, hurt. "Hey!"

Blue shook his head. "Come on! I mean, we know about Raphy, we don't know about Team Rocket."

Lorelei shook her head. "When he explained it, the circumstances… You must admit there was plausibility. The girl had the rarest Pokémon by far, and one of Team Rocket's most common offences is poaching. And in terms of the Psychic… The order of events does suggest the possibility that it was more isolating Miss Darkin so she could not cause trouble for the unempowered members of the team Rocket group, but of course, they brought a Psychic with them in the first place."

"Lorelei," Goodshow said, a warning note to his voice.

Lorelei held up her hand. "I have not finished. This is assuming that it was more opportune, or partially improvised. She may have been the original target—she is, after all, a Grade Alpha Psychic, and her partner Pokémon is notoriously rare. The events as they occurred may never have taken place if the opportunity to target three other extraordinary individuals did not present itself." Lorelei raised her head. "The fact of the matter is that Sonia Darkin is a potential target, and this series of events has managed to tap into the incredibly small but present possibility that they would act on that potential."

"Correct me if I am wrong, Lorelei," Raphael interjected. "But isn't kidnapping and indoctrinating Psychics something of a habit of theirs as well?"

Lorelei shook her head. "In the past, in the old days of Team Rocket, they would press-gang Psychics en masse. Nowadays, there have been no reports of kidnapping or blackmail; logic cannot let me arrive at the conclusion she was a target for kidnapping safely."

Goodshow's face has not budged an inch from his frown. "So what does this all mean?"

Lorelei sighed, adjusting her glasses. "In the end, the net result is the same. We have one instance. That is not enough to declare a pattern, not by any measure." Lorelei levelled her gaze at Raphael. "It is entirely possible it was an opportunity attack, or that any of the others were targets as well; a wealthy individual, talented trainer precious to the League and exceptional and uniquely able breeder? By this measure, Sonia Darkin is very useful travelling with the group; she can provide protection in a way that five security details could not."

Goodshow's frown finally cracked. "So there's no reason to get rid of Miss Darkin?"

"On the contrary." Lorelei sighed. "It can be argued that she is more of a target and that Raphael will not be targeted if she is removed from his vicinity. The reason being because the girl is a higher and, travelling alone, easier priority target and will be targeted, whereas with two companions and of relatively less use, Raphael will not be." Lorelei shook her head. "However it stands, I must report all of my logical findings to the administration. The decision is up to them."

Goodshow ran his fingers through his beard. "It's so dangerous, Lorelei," he said, anxiety bleeding out of his voice and manner. "Raphael could get terribly hurt."

Lorelei adjusted her glasses again. "I work with logic, Goodshow. I cannot make a fully logically informed decision based on one incident; there are too many variables, unknowns. A second would show which patterns they keep to and which they do not; it would outline their true motivations, and a third will allow determination of outliers and a true pattern. I will not take a side on this one as of yet. However, I err towards caution. With clarification from your travelling companions as to the true severity of this incident, I may indeed decide that removing Sonia Darkin is what is best for Raphael, and advise administration accordingly. However, there are other factors to consider, such as the benefits of having a Psychic outweighing the costs. The argument can be made that any Psychic travelling with Raphael will be a target."

Blue rubbed his temples. "That's… A logistical nightmare."

"I am aware," Lorelei nodded.

"And why do you almost look happy about it," Blue muttered.

Lorelei turned to pick up her jacket. "Nice to see you again, Raphael. I only wish the circumstances had been more conducive to pleasantry."

Raphael started forward. "A quick question," he called out. "Why didn't you guys tell me about Felix and Sonia? I'd be fine with this if I had known about all this earlier than, you know, last minute."

Lorelei strode to the door, then turned to face him. "And what would that have changed, Raphael? Nothing of import. You are the League's pet project trainer. Executive meddling should be part and parcel by now. Live with it."

With that, she strode out of the door and disappeared.

Raphael blinked.

Blue sighed, coming over to Raphael. "You okay? You look like a Stantler that nearly got run over."

Raphael shook his head. "Yeah, sorry…" Guilt had started nibbling at him, and coupled with the shock, it had caught him and knocked him flat. "...She… She was right. I'm… I'm sorry."

"Hey. It's okay."

Raphael looked up just as Blue came over, clapping him on the shoulder. "It was a genuine concern. It just kinda happened to be something you couldn't do much about…" He smiled, encouraging. "But you're a strong guy. You can deal with it, right?"

Raphael nodded, smile coming back. "Yeah."

Blue raised an eyebrow. "Raphael, give it some experience, and I think you'll be able to brush off everything. It knocks you down, you just get back up and knock it flatter."

Raphael nodded. The guilt and shock had faded away, and that old fire was back. So what if so far his journey had been… Well, chaotic? Maybe more on the negative side than positive? He just needed to look on the bright side.

He'd get back up and the next time, he wouldn't let his journey knock him down without a good fight.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: A new chapter was added before this one. It is the new chapter eight.  
**

* * *

Catching Stryker, Raphael had just restored Lune's confidence from Janette and added a powerful and talented new member to his team. Watching the Champions battle it out had given him a shot of pure inspiration straight to the heart.

Then Sonia.

Sonia.

Freaking _Sonia Darkin_ had, for lack of a better word, whupped his ass in battle.

Now Lune's confidence was freshly shattered once more, he'd lost to a Psychic, and the battle was like an annoying fly that wouldn't leave him alone and was too vexing to ignore. With every step, however, it seemed to relieve. Even though he was sulking, his hands shoved into his pockets, Raphael could almost feel the legacy of all the trainers that had come before him.

So, it was corny, but this was the _Trainer House._

And he was probably a bit more susceptible to feelings of awesomeness because of a distinct lack of Sonia Darkin.

As he, Mal and Felix stepped inside, Raphael's sulky mood disappeared entirely. He was bursting with energy—the place looked normal, sure, but he could almost feel the energy of it, and he could hear the sounds of a battle raging below.

The receptionist was at her desk to their left, leaning against her chair and swiping at her phone, chewing gum. She blew a bubble, and when she realised they were all standing next to her, she jerked to attention. The bubble popped, some covering her bottom lip.

"Welcome to the Trainer House!" She said brightly, trying to discreetly-but-not scratch the bubblegum off her bottom lip with a bright magenta-painted nail. "How can I help y'all?"

Her accent reminded Raphael briefly of Leslie.

"We're new trainers," Raphael said. "We're here to watch the pros battle."

"Sure!" She said brightly. "The arena's just downstairs there." She pointed at a set of stairs. "But I gotta tell you, as a general rule, trainers here ain't gonna battle anyone with less than seven Badges. It's not official or anything, and there's another smaller room off the main one with a smaller arena where inexperienced trainers can battle. It's just that the people battling here are usually training to go up against Giovanni or are waiting for the Indigo League."

Raphael snorted. "What, you think I have a deathwish? I have no intention of fighting these guys. I just want to learn a thing or two!"

The receptionist was now trying to pick some bubblegum out from under her nail. She smiled. "Of course. Go right ahead!"

Raphael moved through the wide open room, past the book shelves and large table where a few teenage trainers and adults were gathered, pouring over books and discussing strategy. He, Felix and Mal descended the stairs, and the noises of the battle Raphael had been hearing earlier grew louder with each step.

When they finally got to the bottom of the stairs, Raphael almost had a heart attack when a Shadow Ball slammed into an invisible wall in front of his face. Nerves frazzled, he, Felix and Mal came out to the bottom of the stairs.

"A bit of a shock, eh?" A trainer with folded arms and a Magmortar standing beside him chuckled. "Don't worry, the forcefield got me too the first time I came down here."

Felix and Mal nodded, Mal engaging him in a conversation about his Magmortar, but Raphael's eyes were glued to the match. There were about six huge arenas, all fenced off with the forcefields, all currently housing a six-on-six flat out battle. But in the one closest a Gengar was having an all-out brawl with a Nidoking.

It was _awesome._

As he watched, the Gengar was struck with a powerful Megahorn. Raphael saw the casual grin on the face of the Gengar's trainer, and the worried frown on her opponent's. Raphael could guess the Nidoking's moves; Megahorn, obviously, then probably Earthquake, Brick Break and Sludge Bomb. Maybe Blizzard or Thunder if it was talented and could hold more than four moves. Anyway, it was more than likely that the Nidoking had only one effective move—Megahorn. Sludge Bomb would be poor due to Gengar's Poison typing, Brick Break couldn't touch it because of the Ghost typing, and Earthquake was useless due to Gengar's Levitate. By contrast, Gengar probably had its whole arsenal available and could afford to be creative and strategic.

As Raphael watched, the Gengar got a powerful hit with Shadow Ball. It appeared the match was over; the Nidoking was pronounced unable to battle and the forcefields came down, allowing a flood of trainers in to pat the two trainers on the back and compete to be the next to battle. Raphael turned away, his attention gravitating towards the bookcase. His eyes had caught onto one of his favourites; _The Art of War._

Raphael found himself beside the bookshelf, pulling out the book and casually flicking through. He'd never really enjoyed school; his talents lay in battling, and he'd never been the especially 'brainy' sort. He never saw the point of a subject like English, anyway. Why did he need to spend time reading books like _Of Rattata and Men_ when he could be training and improving his chances of becoming a world-class trainer?

He supposed he had a bit of a soft spot for history, though. If only because sometimes there were huge wars and awesome battles. And it was interesting, finding a correlation between tactics in human warfare and in Pokémon battling.

"Have you seen Felix?"

Raphael was startled from his reading by Mal. Raphael shook his head. "Nah. Been reading ever since that match between the Gengar and Nidoking ended."

Mal sighed. "All right. I will be looking for him; I trust you can manage on your own without suicidally challenging some highly-skilled professional to a match?"

Raphael rolled his eyes, grinning. "Jeez, Mal. I'm fine! Go, look for Felix or whatever. I'll be right here, reading this thing, or I'll be fighting some _equally-_ skilled trainer in the side room. 'Kay?"

Mal hadn't even let him finish his shpiel, already gone. Raphael rolled his eyes, turning back to his book.

 _If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle._

Raphael sighed, his thoughts unfortunately tracked back to Sonia. He'd wanted to forget about her. Information was power. But what was he supposed to do when he was battling an opponent he could never fully comprehend? How could he know an unknowable enemy?

He found himself playing the battle with Sonia over in his head. He'd had it in his grasp, he was sure—he'd just let it slip at the last second. One stupid mistake, and he'd failed Lune. It made his jaw tighten in anger and disappointment; he'd stuffed up, but Lune was the one whose confidence had taken a hit. Sonia's ability to communicate telepathically had also done exactly what Felix had predicted and thrown him off entirely. Why? Trainers gave cryptic commands to Pokémon all the time, the Pokémon knowing exactly what to do through auric connection to their trainer. Why was it the language barrier which tripped him up so badly?

It didn't matter. He just needed to find a way to beat them. There were more people like them out there, the most important of which was Sabrina. He wouldn't be one of those people who gave up at Sabrina; he couldn't be.

" _Honestly? Keep battling us. Keep losing over and over. Each time you dive into your weakness, you'll get a little deeper until reaching the bottom is as easy as jumping in."_

Raphael gritted his teeth. A small part of him knew that Felix had a point, but even more of him was violently opposed to being Sonia Darkin's punching bag.

"Hey!"

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, hard. Raphael looked up from his book at a bright, grinning face framed by bubblegum blue hair tied back into a spiky ponytail. Bright pink eyes gazed eagerly at him, contrasting sharply with stark white clothing lined with bright pink and almost painfully bright yellow shoes and backpack.

"My buddy Alex here reckons you're Raphael d'Alcott, that guy who won some competition and got the League sponsoring, but he's too shy to ask you, so here I am! Name's Chrissy, by the way." She spoke like her voice was permanently set faster and higher than what she'd intended it to be coming out. "So. Are you?"

Raphael's eyes drifted over her shoulder. Behind her, a slightly shorter, thinner boy stood bashfully, crimson eyes affixed on the floor, a blush showing clearly through his skin; he appeared to be albino. Raphael guessed that was Alex.

"Yeah, I'm Raphael d'Alcott," he said, putting _Art of War_ back on the shelf. "Nice to meet you two!"

There was a pause.

"Seriously?" Chrissy's voice seemed unnaturally hushed, her eyes wide.

Raphael nodded.

Chrissy suddenly exploded, leaping almost a metre in the air and punching the air. " _Awesome!_ " Chrissy cheered, hugging Alex. There was a slight sprinkle of freckles on her cheeks, making her grins seem even wider and more manic. "Arceus, Alex, you wanted to go against someone good before challenging Brock! Here he is! _The_ someone good!"

Alex seemed like the kind of guy who was just slightly dorky and had the self-confidence of a blind mouse. "But he's _very_ good! He's probably much, much better than us, Chrissy," he protested. "He'll crush me, and it's Reece's first battle against anyone other than Chanie and Bruce."

"Bullshit!" Chrissy said, still managing to sound incredibly bright and bubbly while she did so. "The best way to get better is to find the best person in the room and fight them! Since in here's that really really really stupid, you find the best person at your level and fight them. Which is beginner! We're all beginners, none of us have a single Gym Badge yet, and this guy's supposed to be the _best_ beginner!"

"Chrissy, this really isn't—" Alex began, but before he could finish, Chrissy had snatched Raphael's arm and was dragging him towards the side room for less experienced trainers to battle.

Raphael stumbled in shock for a moment, but grinned and followed on. He turned back to Alex, who looked rather chagrined.

"Don't worry," he told the albino boy. "I'd love a chance to battle, and she's right about seeking tough challenges being the best way to get ahead!"

Alex still looked rather doubtful, but by now, they were in the side room. There were only four battlefields inside, and two were taken; the sorts of Pokémon being used were less like Gengar and Nidoking and more like Caterpie and Spearow. Chrissy dragged Raphael to one of the two free battlefields, finally releasing his arm.

"Awesome!" She grinned. "Since Alex challenged you, you get to decide the terms of the battle."

"I didn't challenge him!" Alex protested weakly. "You challenged him!"

Chrissy tipped her head to the side. "Technically, but—"

Raphael interrupted her, turning to Alex. "How many Pokémon do you train?"

"Three," Alex said.

Raphael scrunched up his face. "Damn. That sucks..."

"Why? Do you only train two?" Alex asked curiously.

Raphael shook his head. "Nah, I train three too. It's just gonna be an unfair match..." He turned to Chrissy. "How many do you train?"

"Three!" She said proudly. She still gave him a curious look. "How's three on three unfair?"

"You'll see," Raphael grinned. He drew out a Poké Ball. "Tell you what. It's six on three; Alex goes first with his Pokémon, then when his last faints Chrissy's will go in. I won't do anything at all in the transition, so it's like you guys are one trainer. That way, since both of you kinda challenged me, you both get a battle! Let's say no substitutions, to make it simple. Okay?"

Alex looked troubled. "You... Sure about this?"

Chrissy looked like someone had flipped a hyper switch in her brain. "Oh man, I can't wait! I wanna take this guy down a peg! Raphael, buddy, you are _on!_ "

Raphael grinned. "We'll see! Sola, let's go!"

Sola yowled and practically leapt into the battlefield, tense with eagerness.

Chrissy moved to the side. "I guess I'll play referee until it's my turn. C'mon, Alex! Your Pokémon!"

"Uhh, right." Alex fumbled for a Poké Ball, still looking at Raphael with an expression somewhere between shock and awe. He threw a Poké Ball forward, a Rattata bursting out of it.

He squatted down to his Pokémon's level, a gentle smile on his face. "This is gonna be your first real battle against someone other than Bruce and Chanie. This is Raphael!" He gestured to Raphael. "He's our opponent."

Reece grinned and made a happy screeching sound, turning to Raphael and looking up at him with wide, curious eyes.

Raphael shook hands with Alex, then drew away to the other side of the battlefield.

"Great!" Chrissy grinned. "Battle starts in three, two, one!"

Raphael snatched the first move easily from Alex's grasp. "Sola, Baby-Doll Eyes!"

Sola arranged herself into position instantly, the move swift and casual. Sola was getting really good.

Reece screeched slightly in shock, skittering back.

"Don't lose your courage!" Alex said encouragingly. "Quick Attack, let's go!"

Raphael made a snap judgement; Sola could definitely take the purple little guy head-on. "Quick Attack right back at them!"

Sola had shot forward before he'd even finished speaking, pelting towards the Rattata streaking towards her. They collided, Sola easily and casually regaining her footing, Reece sent tumbling away.

Alex frowned, under pressure already. "D-don't give up! Tail Whip!"

Reece looked up at him, worried as he heard the falter in his trainer's voice. Rookie mistake. "Quick Attack again! Catch them before they can get their rhythm going again!"

Sola darted forward, streaking into Reece and hitting him before he could scramble away. Reece was sent flying back, hitting the ground hard.

"Finish it with one last Quick Attack!" Raphael called.

As Sola started running again, Alex suddenly thrust out his hand. "Wait! Stop!"

Sola screeched to a halt, dust kicking up around her.

Alex ran forward, lifting up an exhausted Reece. "I forfeit this round!"

Chrissy jerked to attention. "Oh, right, that's me! Uhh, Sally wins this round! It's three to five, now."

Raphael grinned apologetically at Chrissy. "It's Sola."

Chrissy made an 'oops' face and lifted her finger to her lips, as if not wanting Sola to notice.

As Alex recalled Reece into his Poké Ball, Raphael turned back to face him and the battlefield. "Hey, Alex. That was the right call, there." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I shouldn't have had Sola make that last Quick Attack, huh."

Alex shook his head. "It's okay. Reece was hanging on; you had to end the battle somehow, and for some reason you don't strike me as the type to ask me to forfeit."

Raphael smiled. "Glad there's no hard feelings."

Alex smiled back. "Of course not! It's a battle. Well, I gotta get more serious from here on out. There's no denying it; you're good!" He hefted another Poké Ball from his back, his smile broadening. "Bruce, let's go!" Alex threw his next Poké Ball forward, sending a Geodude out.

Bruce let out a throaty rumble that was supposed to be an intimidating war cry, but came out more as a dorky sort of roar-cough.

 _Geodude,_ Raphael thought to himself, his thoughts going lightning-fast. _Kick-ass defence, but only against attacking moves. Really weak special defences. Pretty decent attack, and gotta watch out for that Rollout. Need to take him out quickly before it gets problematic._

"And, round two, begin!" Chrissy sliced her hand downward in an over-the-top imitation of official judges.

"Baby-Doll Eyes!" Raphael called out quickly.

Alex faltered for a moment, but focused himself. "Rock Polish, Bruce!"

Raphael shrugged internally. So the stat move was cancelled out; that wasn't too bad. Hopefully Bruce wouldn't get a chance to act on the increased speed or level attack anyway. "Swift!" This battle needed to end before Rollout came into play, and with Sola's power and a Geodude's typically weak special defences, hopefully it wouldn't be many Swift hits before Bruce was out of play too.

"Defence Curl!" Alex called out quickly.

Bruce instantly responded, curling up and letting his aura flare as the stars burst into him. Raphael shrugged internally again. Easy mistake to make; Defence Curl wouldn't help with defence against special moves, but it was worth a shot.

Then he almost smacked himself in the forehead.

"Rollout!" Alex called determinedly.

"Swift! Keep it going; keep Bruce away from you!" Raphael responded instantly. Stupid, forgetting the Defence Curl combo. That was basic.

Sola yowled, releasing the glowing stars of Swift. Bruce swerved to the side to try dodging them, but the stars smashed into him anyway and he lost his rhythm, thrown free of the Rollout.

"Swift, one last time!" Raphael cried.

"Rollout! Don't give up!" Alex kept an earnest determination on his face, clenching his fists.

Bruce picked up on his trainer's enthusiasm and pushed himself back into the fight, starting up another Rollout. This time, he used his speed, careening off to the side and forcing the Swift to follow him from behind. Bruce tried flanking Sola, but—

"Cut off the Swift, start it up again!" Raphael called out.

Sola dropped the stream of stars and spewed another in Bruce's face just as he was about to collide into her.

This time, as the Rock-type went flying, he was very decidedly out of the fight.

"Ee, euvui!" Sola struck a little pose, letting a little star form in the air and burst into sparks beside her.

"She'd be good at contests," Chrissy praised, nodding at Sola's little show.

Alex cleared his throat. "Ah, adjudication, if you will?"

"Oops." Chrissy grinned sheepishly, winking at Raphael. "Brucie's unable to battle! Sola takes the round once again!" She was still gracing the Eevee with a look of admiration.

Alex recalled Bruce, giving some encouraging and grateful words to the little guy's Poké Ball before he took a deep breath and put it in his bag, retrieving his last one.

He closed his eyes, exhaling. When he opened them again, they burned with yet another flare of determination. Man, this guy had some serious fire in him.

"My team and I are not going down without a good fight!" He called. "Come on, Chanie! Let's show him what we're really made of!"

Alex threw his Poké Ball with great force, letting the Pokémon inside practically explode from it. A Charmander dropped to the ground, landing in the sort of pose you'd see an action hero from a movie strike.

"Wooh!" Chrissy cheered from the sidelines. "Go, Hot Stuff!"

"Chrissy, you're supposed to be neutral," Alex hissed.

"Aw, but I have to cheer for li'l Chanie here!" She grinned, pumping her fist in the air. "Go, girl power!"

Alex rolled his eyes, setting his focus back entirely onto the battlefield. He seemed to minutely adjust himself, settling into an at-the-ready stance.

Raphael grinned, feeling excitement flush through him. It looked like this was going to get heated—damn, that was a bad pun, wasn't it?

"Round three, begin!"

"Dragon Rage!"

Raphael did admit that one caught him a bit off-guard.

Alex had indeed pulled out all the stops.

The purple flare flashed forward, bursting from Chanie's maw and bearing straight at Sola.

"Swift to counter!" In a straight-up contest of power, hopefully this would go the way experience had shown and Sola would come out on top.

Either the Swift didn't get enough momentum, or Chanie was just that powerful; Dragon Rage tore through the stars and slammed into the Eevee, punching through her. Sola screeched, thrown along by the purple flare.

 _Charmander's weakness—opposite of Geodude. Weaker in defence rather than special defence, but only slightly. Gotta be careful—Sola just got very, very fragile._

Sola skidded on the ground, getting her footing back in the aftermath of the Dragon Rage, panting. That one hit had taken a lot out of her—Dragon Rage was scarier the weaker a Pokémon was, and Raphael was painfully aware that he was still a very small fish.

 _Who's typically faster—Eevee or Charmander?_

"Quick Attack, let's go!" Raphael called out quickly, trying to disrupt any rhythm or battle control advantage Alex had. "Zigzag, avoid any Embers or Dragon Rages!"

Hopefully Quick Attack would cancel out the fact that Eevee were just that tiny smidge slower than Charmander.

"Dragon Rage, again! Sweep the field!" Alex cried out, stubborn.

Chanie took a deep breath in, exhaling out another massive purple flare.

"Slide!" Raphael called.

Just as the Dragon Rage near Sola, using her momentum, let herself fall into a slide, her bottom legs aiming at Chanie. The Dragon Rage passed over her head.

And Sola's lower legs struck Chanie's.

The Charmander growled in surprise, trying to pivot herself so the Dragon Rage was aimed at Sola, but with the wind knocked out of her the Dragon Rage dissipated into nothing.

Raphael allowed himself a grin. "Tackle!" He kept up the offence, keeping it close quarters—even though it could potentially be more devastating, Dragon Rage would be much more unwieldy to use like this, being a heavy duty move for weaker Pokémon. He'd banked on Chanie being unable to turn the Dragon Rage downwards onto Sola in time, and he'd been right.

Alex floundered. "Ember!"

It seemed Chanie's only attacking moves were longer-range. Sola dodged the embers and rammed her head into Chanie's stomach at the same time, neatly letting the Ember pass over her head. Chanie yowled breathlessly, tumbling to the ground.

"Finish with Swift!"

At this range, the Swift was powerful. And at this stage in the fight, there was very little Alex could do.

"Aw," Chrissy pouted. "Hot Stuff is unable to battle. Round goes to Sola, again!" Her voice dropped to a mutter. "Seems like Raphael here wasn't kidding when he thought a straight up three-on-three was unfair…"

Raphael grinned, stepping onto the field as Alex recalled Chanie, a slight frown on his face. Raphael held out his hand. "That was a great battle! I could tell you really tried your best!"

Alex looked sheepish as he shook Raphael's hand. "You're really good! I'm sorry for underestimating you earlier."

Raphael shrugged. "It's fine."

Alex let the handshake fall with a smile. "Guess I got a long way to go before I can beat you. At least I got myself a target, now!"

No wonder he'd picked the Fire-type starter; this guy was all about the fire, even if he seemed a bit dorky at first. "You've got an awesome attitude, Alex. With a little bit of practice, I'm sure you guys'll be some of the best out there!"

Alex winced. "Thanks for the kind words. I hope you're right…"

"Hey, would you two stop bromancing over there?! I want my go!" Chrissy shoved her way between them, grinning at Raphael, holding a Poké Ball out. "Half of me's pissed off you knocked out all of Alex's Pokémon without even giving him a single win, but the other half of me's pumped because it means I get an almost fair three-on-three battle!"

Alex stumbled away, knocked off balance, but righted himself and went over to where Chrissy had stood before. "When you two are ready, the next round will start."

Raphael shook hands with his opponent, drawing back to his side. Sola was breathing heavy, her muscles trembling ever-so-slightly, but the determined Eevee probably wouldn't hear of giving up. Raphael had confidence in her, but that Dragon Rage had almost knocked her out entirely. Chrissy was really getting a three on two-and-a-bit.

"Tidal!" Chrissy yelled. "We got ourselves a fight! Let's show 'em!"

Chrissy threw forward a Poké Ball in the same full-on, energetic manner she always had, a wide grin on her face. A Squirtle burst out of the Poké Ball, landing with an excited and surprisingly loud battle cry. Tidal's expression mirrored their—his?—trainer's, full of excitement and eagerness and barely veiled ferocity.

Well, no points for guessing why Chrissy had picked this guy as her starter.

"You ready, Sola?" Raphael flashed a thumbs up at his Pokémon.

"Ee, vee vee!" Sola gave him a sharp nod in return, dropping into a battle-ready stance.

Almost timidly, Alex raised his voice. "Battle begin!"

Raphael was not used to having the initiative snatched from him in the beginning. But then again, it didn't seem like Chrissy was going to be a regular opponent.

"Bubble, high speed!" Chrissy punched her fist into her palm in front of her, grinning.

No kidding—Tidal's Bubble was probably the fastest Raphael had seen yet.

"Dodge it!" Raphael wasn't taking chances. Sola was fragile, and Chrissy was relatively unpredictable and harder to measure. Unlike with Reece and the Quick Attack duel, Raphael didn't put as much trust in calling Sola's Swift stronger than that Bubble.

Sola dodged to the side just in time, the Bubble grazing her tail.

"Quick Attack!" Raphael cried. He wanted Sola to be as fast as possible to dodge that Bubble.

"Withdraw!" Chrissy responded instantly.

"Swift! Keep charging!"

Sola changed tacks, letting the white of Quick Attack fade away from her. With a cry, she let the stars burst forth, still charging towards Tidal.

"Bubble! Get some distance!" Chrissy yelled.

Tidal stuck his head out and out came that ferocious Bubble. Just as Raphael had feared, the Water-type move eviscerated the stars, sending Sola flying as it hit her and sending Tidal careening backwards on the force he'd generated.

As Sola tumbled to the ground, Tidal's arms and legs came out in time for an expert landing Raphael could certainly believe was done on purpose.

"Let's finish this!" Chrissy cried. "Bubble! Let 'er rip!"

Sola was having trouble pushing herself to her feet. Raphael closed his eyes—this match was over.

"Sola, return!" He called, holding out her Poké Ball. He turned to Alex as the Bubble passed over where Sola had been, giving him the nod.

"Sola is unable to battle!" Alex supplied graciously. "The match goes to Tidal!"

Chrissy grinned, running a hand through her hair. "Great work, Tidal!"

Raphael graced Sola's Poké Ball with a heartfelt thank you before he slipped hers away, pulling Lune's free.

"Come on out, Lune!" Raphael flung Lune's Poké Ball into the air, watching the Eevee's graceful landing. He pulled himself to stand up tall, straight and proud, giving a short nod of acknowledgement toward Tidal before he slipped into a fighting stance.

"Right!" Chrissy clapped her hands together. "Can't let ourselves get complacent, huh, Tidal?"

Tidal shook his head. "Squirtle!"

"Round two, be—" Alex started.

"Bubble!" Chrissy interrupted, punching the air.

"Dig!" Raphael responded instantly. That Bubble was dangerously fast.

As Lune dove underground, Chrissy already had a response. "Aim that Bubble at the ground! Make it as damp as you can!"

Raphael had to admit it was clever, but it was way too slow.

True to form, the ground had barely gotten any darker when Lune burst out from the ground, right beneath Tidal, sending the Squirtle completely off-balance and hitting him hard.

"Squirtle!" The turtle Pokémon floundered, tripping over.

"Withdraw!" Chrissy yelled.

For a split second, Raphael wondered why it had seemed to do more to unbalance than damage—then remembered the earlier Withdraw. It did more than just act as an instant defence; it had boosted Tidal's aura defensively for the duration of the battle. Dig was only a Ground-type move, anyway.

But Withdraw only boosted defence from physical attacks. "Swift!"

Chrissy didn't have time for the Bubble counter this time—Lune was way too close. The Swift smashed into Tidal, sending him skidding across the battlefield and practically forcing him out of his shell. And it certainly had delivered the hurt.

"Keep it going, Lune!" Raphael cried.

Stamping his paw on the ground, Lune didn't let the stream of stars fade, keeping it coming. Tidal was blown all the way back into the wall, crashing into it, the full force of the starry stream bearing down on him.

"Come on, Tidal!" Chrissy called desperately. "You can do it!"

Tidal thrashed, trying to pull himself away, but Lune kept the stream aimed right at him. When the thrashing stopped, Lune instantly let up.

Tidal tumbled from the tiny crater in the wall with a groan, fainted.

"Tidal is unable to battle! Lune wins the match!" Alex called out promptly.

Chrissy recalled Tidal, not quite able to veil her disappointment. "You were awesome, Tidal. I owe you some!" She slipped the Poké Ball back, her grin already back in place as she pulled out another. "Shae, let's go!"

With Chrissy's attitude, Raphael had found himself expecting a kick-ass Gyarados. He was almost taken aback by the very small and very cute Pokémon that popped out.

"Clef! Cleffa!" The little Pokémon smiled adorably at him.

"Round three, begin!" Alex called.

"Right," Raphael said slowly, shaking himself. "Lune, Tackle!"

Lune charged the Cleffa, expression deadly serious.

"Shae?" Chrissy had a sly grin on her face. Shae looked up at her trainer curiously. Chrissy's grin widened. "Pound."

"Clef!" Shae said happily.

As Lune was about to make contact, Shae's small arm lit up white. With a cheery cry, the Cleffa crashed her arm into Lune.

There was practically a shockwave of force in response. Lune was suddenly flying back, crashing into the ground with a spectacular spray of dirt. Shae looked barely affected, jumping up happily.

Raphael gaped.

Lesson learned; one does not underestimate the tiny adorable Cleffa.

Lune picked himself up, expression dark. Raphael changed tactics; he had to keep his distance. "Lune, Swift!"

"Evui!" Lune released a barrage of stars with a vicious swish of his tail.

"Copycat!" Chrissy's voice was singsong, practically overflowing with confidence.

"Clef!" Shae glowed briefly, the glow fading out. It was barely a split second before she was glowing with an entirely different light. Stars suddenly formed in the air around her, streaking forward at lightning speed. Even though hers had far less momentum than Lune's they still crashed though his and right into the Eevee with a spectacular bang, sending Lune flying.

So he couldn't attack up close or far away? This was one tricky Cleffa.

"Lune, Dig!" Raphael cried out.

Lune practically dove into the ground, tearing earth out of his way.

"Pound the dirt!" Chrissy cried.

Shae jumped high with a squee, her arm lighting up. When she hit the ground, Raphael was sure they'd have to pay some sort of insurance bill.

It was like Shae had used Earthquake. The ground tore up, Lune's brown pelt just visible in amongst the chunks of dirt. When the earth settled again, torn up, Lune was pushing himself up, shaking dirt from his pelt.

"Sweet Kiss!" Chrissy cried out.

Shae spun, her hand going to her grinning mouth and then gesturing outwards. Glowing aura shot forward, hitting Lune in the face. He stumbled back a bit, shaking his head from side to side. When she couldn't seem to quite shake it off, he yowled and shook his head again, giving a plaintive cry of "Vee!"

Oh, come on. Sweet Kiss caused confusion. This was ridiculous; he'd barely been beating Shae without that handicap.

Raphael was honestly shocked by how hard Chrissy was beating him. With a tiny Cleffa which was not supposed to have such ridiculous physical strength, no less.

But Lune needed to get some confidence back. Raphael couldn't fail him.

"Come on, Lune!" He roared. "You're one of the best battlers I know! Shake it off! Come on, Lune!"

Lune was shaking his head, gritting his teeth, expression practically torn up with anger.

"Shae, use Pound," Chrissy commanded leisurely.

The Cleffa practically skipped towards Lune, her arm lazily lighting up as she went.

"Come on, Lune!" Raphael clenched his fists tightly. "Sand Attack! Tackle! Something! Break out of it, Lune!"

Lune just stamped his paw on the ground twice, trying to shake himself free from the confusion.

Or…

Shae came beside Lune, raising her arm.

Suddenly, Lune's hind paw dashed to the side. An arc of dirt sprayed, accompanied by the auric effects of a Sand-Attack.

"Yes!" Raphael crowed. Lune had taken a leaf from Zorua's book, it seemed.

"What?!" Chrissy cried.

Lune immediately swivelled around, sending his body flying at the blinded Shae in a powerful close-range Tackle. He hit the Cleffa with his paw, shoving her into the ground and not letting her wriggle free.

"Finish this with Tackle!" Raphael cried.

Lune brought his paw up, then down.

Dirt sprayed to the side in a shockwave, the epicentre the tiny star Pokémon. When the dust cleared, Lune was standing over the prone form of the adorable Shae. A crater of dirt spiralled outwards around the fallen Fairy-type.

Chrissy returned Shae to her Poké Ball with a sigh.

"Shae is unable to battle. Lune wins the match!" Alex called out.

"You were absolutely awesome, Shae." Chrissy gushed over the Poké Ball in her hand. "Your Pound is getting so great! Remind me that you deserve a treat later, okay?"

Raphael released a breath he hadn't released he'd been holding. He'd barely noticed, but his heartbeat had gone crazy. He leant forward, hands on his knees. "Great job, Lune," he said. "That was a tough battle!"

"You haven't won yet, Raphael!" Chrissy called out. She had her last Poké Ball in her hands, her face alight with determination. "And I've saved my most kick-ass buddy for last! Say hello to _Crusher!_ "

She flung the Poké Ball as hard as she could in an arc towards the ground. The Poké Ball slammed into the ground and burst open, revealing a hulking coil of rocks. It unfurled, increasing in size, until Raphael was craning his neck up to look at the face of an Onix.

Raphael floundered for a moment. "Wow."

"Round four, begin!" Alex called.

"Swift" Raphael cried out. He wasn't letting Chrissy get the drop on him again.

"Iron Tail!"

 _What._

With incredible speed, the Onix's tail flashed outward and slammed hard on top of Lune.

When the dust cleared, there was no doubt about the result.

Raphael was gaping. "I thought you said you didn't even have a single Gym Badge yet," his voice came out tight and small. He coughed. "How do you have an Onix high-level enough to know _Iron Tail?_ "

"Oh, no, Crusher's about the same level as Shae and Tidal. It's just that my dad's a Move Tutor," Chrissy grinned. "And Iron Tail just so happens to be one of his specialities."

Raphael's heart was pounding as he returned Lune to his Poké Ball. He fumbled unusually clumsily for Stryker's, his eyes never leaving Crusher's impassive face.

He could almost swear the Onix had smiled, ever so slightly.

Raphael pulled out Stryker's ball, suddenly unsure. He was sending Stryker out against a Pokémon she was weak against who knew Iron Tail.

But this was _Stryker._

"And you, Chrissy, haven't seen anything yet!" Raphael found a new flare of confidence, sending Stryker's ball flying. "Say hello to my friend _Stryker!_ "

There was a long pause.

"A Pidgey."

Raphael grinned. "Yup."

Chrissy folded her arms, raising her eyebrow. "And you think your tiny adorable birdie has the slightest chance against Crusher?"

Stryker gave an indignant chirp at being called adorable, giving Chrissy the mother of all evil eyes.

Raphael shook his head. "On the contrary, Chrissy, Stryker is gonna kick Crusher's rocky butt."

Crusher narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, a deep rumble escaping him.

"This is the last round!" Alex said loudly. "Whoever wins this match wins the battle! Ready, set… Begin!"

"Quick Attack!" Raphael cried.

"Rock Tomb!" Chrissy yelled back.

Rocks formed in the air behind Crusher. The giant rock snake used his tail to gesture them forward, sending them flying at Stryker.

Stryker was blur of white. She ducked and weaved, flying expertly past the rocks. Crusher and Chrissy didn't let up, more and more of the Rock Tomb thrown the small bird's way. Stryker screeched as one slammed into her side—but she quickly righted herself, thrown off-course for a fraction of a second. Raphael's heart beat faster. Should he do something? No, the current Quick Attack was the best solution. So why was he so sure something bad was going to happen?

Crusher kept Stryker in that tight spot for an agonisingly long time. Rocks struck her, battering her around, but Stryker kept herself in the air, weaving past chunks. Anything which did hit her only his her slightly, grazing her or shaving past her or hitting the edge of her wing or tip of her talon. Crusher kept the rock shooting towards her, from his direction, so that if Stryker wanted to get any closer she'd have to fly head-long into more rocks.

Raphael was itching to do something. This was a stalemate that was eating away at Stryker faster and more strongly than at Crusher. If it stayed like this, he would lose.

"Sky!" Raphael called desperately, hoping Stryker understood his meaning.

She did.

She waited for an opening, and just the slightest, slightest crack above appeared. Suddenly, Stryker shot upwards, a rock grazing her tail feathers and another her mohawk-like head feather. Crusher fumbled, trying to adjust to Stryker's sudden change in altitude. Before he could, she dove.

Between one blink and the next, Stryker had powerfully jabbed her beak right into the crack between Crusher's head and the next rock. Crusher made a horrible groaning noise, recoiling from the tiny bird. Stryker was casually winging away as the Rock Tomb evaporated, Crusher falling flat.

"Iron Tail! Don't let the bird get away!" Chrissy cried.

As he was falling, Crusher whipped his tail upward, glowing with a metallic sheen. It was fast, deadly fast—but Stryker was faster.

"Sand Attack!" Raphael cried.

As the Iron Tail careened off to the side, having missed its mark, Stryker dove to the ground. Clawing clumps of dirt into her talons, she flapped her wings hard and shot away again. She was already high in the air by the time Crusher had finally managed to whip his tail back. It slammed heavily on the ground, but Stryker was already above him, and Crusher was unable to react as Stryker dove for his eyes, throwing the dirt clenched tightly in her talons into them.

Crusher roared, shaking his huge head. It was unnerving watching such a large creature move with such speed.

"Tackle! In the weak spot!" Raphael directed.

Stryker dove for the same spot, the crack between Crusher's head and the next rock. She was really delivering the hurt—the spot likely still stung from Stryker's earlier Quick Attack.

"Harden, then Rage!" Chrissy directed. "We're not going down easy, Crusher!"

The huge Pokémon roared. A sheen of light seemed to shine across his body for a split second, the effects of the Harden making his likely monstrous defence even greater. A slight red aura suddenly flared around him, has tail swinging wildly as he tried to catch Stryker.

The little aeronaut was practically teasing him now, chirping to inform him of her location before darting away on agile wings again.

"Tackle! Quick Attack! Gust, even! Hit him with everything!"

Stryker screeched an avian war cry and started her all-out assault. She struck the same weak spot that she'd attacked before, sending powerful Gusts into Crusher's face and knocking the rocky head from side to side.

It was like that for what felt like forever and no time at all, Stryker like a war plane assaulting a massive primordial titan—and winning. Crusher was roaring as he was hit, losing strength. Stryker was incrementally becoming more wild, more reckless—it was in her nature not to weaken at all until there was nothing left, working at a hundred percent until it was zero. But Raphael knew she was tiring; Crusher was still trying to hit her, his tail flailing through the air. The red glow around Crusher didn't diminish. In fact, it was strengthening.

Raphael frowned. That was Rage, wasn't it?

…Oh.

"Get your head right into that Gust!" Chrissy cried.

As Stryker flapped her wings, Crusher let it come, keeping his head still through the ferocious wind.

Raphael realised why barely seconds later; as Crusher shook his head out, tears were running down the rocky face—he'd cleared the physical effects of Sand Attack from his eyes.

"Iron Tail, with everything you've got!" Chrissy shouted.

Crusher roared in response, even though he was breathing hard. His tail whipped around, the fastest it had been through the whole battle. Powering it was the attack-boosting auric effects of Rage.

"Dodge it!" Raphael cried.

The constant dodging had taken its toll on Stryker as well. She tried to dodge the Iron Tail, but it just caught her wing, flinging her at high speed into the wall.

"Stryker!" Raphael cried out, his body reflexively moving towards her.

Stryker screeched as she hit the wall, crumpling to the ground.

Raphael was on a rush. He was going to win this battle—he had to. For Stryker, for Sola, for Lune.

"Come on, Stryker!" Raphael yelled. "We have to win this! For Sola! For Lune! I know you have it in you to keep on going! Come on, Stryker!"

Stryker pushed herself up.

Raphael could barely hear himself over the roar of blood in his ears. "Yeah!"

"Huh?!" Chrissy cried, physically recoiling from shock. She probably hadn't thought the little bird capable of taking a hit like that.

She didn't know Stryker.

Stryker slammed her wings downwards, carrying her into the air. Raphael let a smile spread across his face.

"Quick Attack!"

Chrissy floundered, staring shocked as Stryker was able to fling herself back into the fray so easily. Crusher himself was exhausted from the earlier onslaught.

The Quick Attack hit home.

Crusher fumbled backwards, tumbling over. With one last faint echo of his previous roars, the Onix was down.

"Crusher?" Chrissy called tentatively, disbelieving. "Crusher?"

Alex raised his hand. "Crusher is unable to battle! Stryker wins! Therefore, the match goes to Raphael!"

Raphael practically leapt up, punching the air. Blood pounded in his ears, his heart beat slamming into his chest. "Yes!"

Raphael ran forward to meet Stryker as she gently winged her way down, coming to rest on the dusty ground. She ruffled her feathers slightly, ruffling her wings. She cracked her neck with a sigh. Just as Raphael reached her side, she collapsed in his arms.

"That was some of the best battling I've ever seen," Raphael said to the prone bird, tone solemn and honest. "And I've seen videos of some of the top trainers in the world battle."

Stryker crowed something weakly, her cry throaty.

Raphael gathered the bird up in his arms, standing up straight. There was an odd sort of silence as the blood roaring in his ears faded away.

Then excited chatter burst out, filling Raph's ears. He jumped; the four trainers who'd been battling when they came in had started watching his and Chrissy's battle.

Chrissy came jogging up to him, her eyes bright as though she was high. "Holy Arceus on a stick! That was _awesome!_ Let's do it again sometime, yeah?"

Raphael grinned back. "Definitely. You'll be entering all the tournaments on the way to the League, right?"

Chrissy nodded. Alex came up beside her, and she slapped him on the back, almost making the poor boy fall over. "And I'll make sure he enters, too! He's kind of a scaredy cat, but you totally think he has the right stuff to be a good trainer, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Raphael nodded. "Remember what I said? About having the perfect attitude? You just need some practice, is all! And you'll have a great sparring partner."

Alex smiled weakly.

"Well, we'd better go to the Pokémon Centre. Our friends need some TLC after that!" Chrissy beckoned Alex along. She turned to Raphael. "You're coming too, right?"

Raphael nodded. "Definitely!"

"While we wait for our Pokémon, how about we exchange contact details?" Alex suggested.

"Okay!" Raphael smiled.

As they left, Raphael could feel the memory of his blood pumping and his heart beating fast as he'd battled.

That was what he lived for.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: (Beta reader/N) Hi! Yes, it's me, Parallel, uhhhh... Sorry? This chapter took so (godawfully) long because I couldn't get my act together and edit it, so, blame me! I'll do my best to avoid this happening again. In the mean time, hopefully you enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

Raphael had resolved to look on the bright side. Despite the blaring SONIA SONIA SONIA the negative side of his brain kept spouting, Viridian City had held more positivity than said negative side cared to admit. The exhibition match had been like… Uh… Arceus, he didn't have the English skills to come up with a metaphor which accurately worked. And then meeting Emily! Oh, oh, Alex and Chrissy! Three new friends—one of whom a _Silver Conference finalist_ no less—definitely outweighed the one enemy.

Positivity affirmed, Raphael turned his thoughts to Brock. After seeing Blue and Cynthia slug it out, his pulse was pounding on command whenever he thought of it; he was newly energised to take on the League, Team Rocket and Sonia Darkin be damned.

Brock was the first Gym Leader only by tradition, what with starting trainers heading out from Pallet Town in the traditional route; this gave the illusion that he was much, much weaker than he truly was. In reality, it was simply that he used his weaker Pokémon to fight more often, adjusting himself to be just the right amount of challenge for the starting trainers. Brock was very, very tough; facing his Geodude and Onyx wouldn't be like facing Alex's Geodude and Chrissy's Onyx. Well, maybe like Crusher—that freaking Iron Tail…

Either way, Raphael had to train—Pewter City was next. As Raphael and his Pokémon approached Felix at the exit to Route 2, Felix grinned at him—but he was too busy bear-hugging the egg case to wave as well.

"Hug the case anymore and you might just break it," Raphael snorted.

"I will not!" Felix instantly responded, his pale face flushing red.

Raphael laughed, grinning. "I was joking."

"O-oh, right," the breeder stammered with an awkward grin. "Sorry, in super defensive mode ever since we were given the egg. You know."

"Yeah, I know! You won't even let me hold it for a second!" Raphael nearly elbowed him playfully, but that probably would have made the other boy freak out. "I was so looking forward to learning how to take care of the egg and everything."

"But—" Pain flashed across the breeder's expression. Cascade rolled his eyes and uttered a string of bui's, which only made Felix respond back with the same incomprehensibility.

Raphael held his arms out. "Can I at least hold it for two minutes?"

" _But—_ "

Mal swiftly came in between and casually lifted the egg case from Felix's grasp, delicate and elegant as dance. Felix was left staring at empty air, mouthing in confusion.

"While this discourse is quite interesting, it gets us no closer to our goal," Mal said evenly, holding the egg case like a painter might hold their masterwork. "I myself would like to reach Pewter by lunch time; there is really no reason for us not to set out now. All in favour?"

Sonia nodded mutely, expressionlessly tickling Zorua beneath the chin.

Felix glanced at Raphael, grinned, and started walking.

Raphael jogged slightly to walk beside him. "So, when's the egg gonna hatch?"

Felix tried to catch up with Mal and look back at Raphael at the same time. "Oh, really soon! At a guess, a week—but I mean, it's give or take, really, individual Pokémon and all that." Felix made a last little burst to catch up with Mal who, after a sigh, gave the egg case back to the protective breeder.

As they were about to breach the gates to Route 2, a familiar voice called out "Hey! Raph! You heading out?"

Raphael turned to Emily and grinned—this was perfect! His new friend could walk with them! "Hey, Emily!"

Mal, Felix and Sonia had paused to look, each a shade of curious. Raphael immediately proceeded to the introductions. "Guys, this is Emily O'Brian. Emily, this is my best friend Mal—"

Mal bowed, as usual. Emily grinned back and curtseyed elaborately, coaxing a more genuine smile out of Mal.

Raphael felt himself smile as he continued. "—my newest friend and training overseer Felix—"

Felix managed a wave around the egg case this time, prompting a wave back.

Raphael sighed internally. "...and this is Sonia, one of our traveling companions."

Emily decided to introduce herself more properly back, holding out her hand to Mal. "Nice to meet you all!"

Working methodically to make sure she greeted everyone, Emily said hi to Mal's bears, Felix, Cascade and then held her hand out to Sonia.

Aaaaaand _another_ moment for Sonia Darkin to spoil.

Which she did, in classic Sonia fashion. "Psychic," Sonia snapped.

Emily's whole body seemed to shudder. She paused for a moment, and Raphael could just see a mini five stages of grief starting up. First came denial. "...You're Psychic?"

Sonia turned away. Oh, Arceus dammit—did Sonia insist on making everything worse? "And the problem is?"

Anger. "Definitely Psychic," Emily said darkly.

Sonia immediately flared, something dark crossing her previous aggravatingly blank expression. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Bargaining. Emily turned to Raph, shock painting her features. "Why're you travelling with someone like her?"

Sonia, for the love of Arceus, there are times when one's just supposed to shut up... "Excuse me?!"

Raphael tried ignoring her, focusing instead on Emily. "No choice," he shrugged helplessly.

Emily's features immediately formed into sympathy, a mini depression—it counted, Arceus dammit; he was making _this_ metaphor work. "That's really dangerous," she said, utterly serious. "How can anyone force you to do this? I mean, that's an infringement of your rights. They're putting you in danger for what—publicity? Looking good?"

Arceus—how did logical Lorelei miss Emily's _perfect_ take down of the whole idea? "Pretty much," Raphael nodded. "I wish I had you there when I was arguing with the League about it the first time!"

Emily shook her head. "If I can do anything to help, let me know. Innocent people shouldn't be put in danger like this." For a moment, Emily's gaze slid to Sonia—and without her, Raphael wouldn't have all this negativity on his journey. Emily wouldn't be uncomfortable right now.

"I'm standing right here, you know," Sonia said.

 _I know. And hell, I wish to Arceus you weren't. If you have to hear anything out of my head, hear THIS. Go. The hell. AWAY._

She didn't. Of course. But, the thought gave him an idea. "Come on," he said, gesturing to Emily. "I'd hate for you to feel like you have to travel alone because of her. Let's go a bit in front, yeah?"

Sonia might have been standing there, but he and Emily could stand a way in front. Problem… Semi-solved? Positivity, positivity, positivity…

To Raphael's relief, she smiled—clearly relieved herself. "Thanks."

Raphael speed-walked a way in front, brushing past Mal. The boy's malachite-green eyes bore into him, a dark look that was gone so quickly Raphael instantly started doubting he'd ever seen it. Surely not—?

"I'm sorry," Emily murmured. "If I was rude, I just—" She growled, pressing her hands to her face. "I can't—I can't deal with them."

"Don't worry, it's fine," Raphael assured. "I one hundred percent get it. I can't stand it either, after—you know."

Emily nodded. A heavy weight had fallen on her, and the next words were a strain, drenched and weighted with grief. "I… Know how it feels. A… A lot of people I cared about got killed by a Psychic too."

Cold shock. Horror. Someone else—someone else had to go through that, go through what he'd went through. Logically, he knew that they had, but this made it _real_. And it had to have been so much worse, because the way she'd said it—she'd been older. She'd known them, she remembered them, and unlike Raphael… She carried the pain with her every day, every memory tainted with the knowledge that people she held so dearly could no longer affect the world outside of the effect they'd had on her.

Raphael faltered as the emotional weight fully hit him. "I—oh, Arceus. I'm… I'm so sorry… You're so brave. You're so positive all the time. Hell, only Sonia Darkin's presence and I turn negative—you're so bright."

Emily smiled sadly, exhaling with a shudder. "Thanks for the words, but… It's… A little hard to talk about. To think about, even. So I don't, not really. I still have to live my life. I didn't die back then. I have to make the most of it. The universe gave me a chance to wring everything out of it that I possibly could—I'd be dishonouring the people who didn't get that chance if I just let it slip away."

Raphael nodded slowly, taking in her words. "That's even more impressive. Thinking like that."

Emily shook her head—her smile had become painfully strained. "I still failed, though," she said, hollow. "I only got second place."

There was so much anger there. So, so, _so_ much anger.

And it struck, then, that Raphael was staring at his perfect twin. "This is… This is gonna come out so silly after all this, but— _wow_ , we are really, really alike."

To his surprise—to the point were Raphael's heart jumped—Emily laughed. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Raphael felt himself smiling, caught on the wave—Emily's infectious positivity. "We both love battling, both had Eevee as our first Pokémon, we're both Johtoan to some degree or another, we both lost people because of Psychics, we both _hate_ failure, and we're both massive Cynthia fans!"

Emily laughed at the last one. "Wow—you're completely right." She looked him over. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

Emily nodded. "Seventeen. Ehhh, close enough." She stretched her arms out and winked. "I'm done with school, though—I _was_ gonna go back after my Johto journey, really, but second place in the Silver Conference was golden enough for the League. They offered me a proper deal; I'm technically an athlete for them now, and I still get to make a killing in the pro-level tournaments!"

" _Nice_ ," Raphael said with a grin, unable to keep the envy from his voice. "That's awesome—I'm doing a sort of abridged thing; study for and sit a few tests while still on my journey, that sort."

"Aw, too bad," Emily gave him a sympathetic shrug. "Well, I mean—I'm _really_ lucky. I have to be careful or else I'll end up just another high school dropout, 'cept I happen to have however many badges."

Raphael grinned at her. "Hell no—you're _great_. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about!"

Emily smiled, and it just made Raphael start wishing so hard that Emily was travelling with him instead of Sonia. She was just—a mentor who knew how it all worked, so similar to him, and she was just a source of positivity. She was like—

Sonia's voice crashed through his train of thought with a cry of "Something's coming!"

Raphael was just about to groan at her voice when a loud, oppressive buzzing beat him to it.

Raphael's eyes widened.

Felix gasped loudly enough for Raphael to hear. "Is that—!"

Beedrill seemed to explode from the trees, the drone gouging into his brain.

 _Ohhhhhhh no._

"Beedrill!" Raphael roared, panic barely making his voice break above the noise. "A lot of Beedrill! Everybody run!"

Just as the Beedrill dove, adrenaline flushed into Raphael's system. Beside him, he saw the blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment of Emily's features hardening into determination.

The two sprinted down the road, each step pounding along the road with Raphael's racing heart. Blood throbbed through his whole body, fighting in the grips of panic and thrill as adrenaline pumped through his system.

"Sonia! Do something!" Felix's voice was shrill behind him.

"They're Bug-types!" Sonia's voice was a screech of utter panic. "It won't have anywhere near as much effect as you think!"

"Now is not the time to panic!" Mal's voice managed to carry even in the wooded area, commanding. "Sonia, you—"

The Beedrill changed tactics and dove at a different angle, forcing the group to the side. Raphael charged through a small path through the trees, seeing Felix sprinting beside him. Mal cut off as he went through bushes, out of Raphael's sight. Emily leapt into the air as a Beedrill swung at her, and promptly disappeared behind a veil of trees.

 _No, no—dammit!_ Instinct kept Raphael running, but the panic deepened as it sunk in that only Felix was there. _No, no—think! Okay, Beedrill, they're fast, hit hard, great stamina, but they're frail. I need a heavy hitter—but Stryker can't take them alone, maybe Emily's Pokémon could have but she's not here anymore… No, no, bad Raphael, you can't hope! Bad habit, NO you have to focus on using the resources you do have—Felix! Wait, Felix?_

Felix had a bag of oran berries in hand, expression split in determination as he ran fast enough to nearly keep pace with Raphael. Beside him, Cascade ran, whole body tilted forward to keep pace and clutching the egg case. He dug his teeth into the bag and tore, splitting the bag wide open. The next second, it was tossed over his shoulder, the oran berries scattering like frag from a grenade.

But it wasn't a weapon, Raphael realised, designed to hit the Beedrill and slow them.

 _A distraction._

Rather than simply slowing, the Beedrill seemed to have stopped entirely. The buzzing faded, and Raphael slowed, feet pounding to a stop. Felix staggered to a stop after him, bending over to wheeze in heavy breaths.

For a while, that was it. The two boys wheezing like Mal and his asthma, Cascade leaning against a tree and hugging the egg case, Sola and Lune collapsed against it each other, no Beedrill in sight. As Raphael stood there, his brain re-oxidising, he realised—there was a genuine possibility they could have died. Beedrill attacks had a chance to be lethal, a small chance—and if Felix hadn't done what he had, they might have fallen victim to that chance.

"I… saw that…!" Raphael tried to laugh, but he was light-headed—he couldn't properly get it out. "You tore open... a bag of berries with your teeth to distract them." He dragged in a deep breath. "That was freaking amazing!"

Felix grinned, breath regained. He stood, breathing even as he put his berry case away. "Thanks! I knew we weren't in their territory since they were shouting about sources, not intruders."

Raphael frowned, shaking his head and trying to get it working again so he could breathe properly. "Sources? Of what?"

Felix shrugged, honestly baffled-looking. "Beats me. But they sure wanted them gone. I think they assumed in their rage that we were the source of whatever was aggravating them, so I convinced them we were a source of berries instead."

Raphael gave Felix his best grin, shaking his head. "Genius. Absolutely genius."

Felix didn't preen, immediately continuing. "We've got other problems, though. Did you see where the others went?"

Raphael hit his temple with his hand for a little percussive maintenance. Raphael's brain finally decided to come back online, his sense of direction piping up. He pointed about south-east. "Yeah, we split up from Mal and Emily about a mile that way."

Felix immediately frowned. "How are you so sure? That's not even the direction we came from."

Well, of course not. "We made a few turns on our way here," Raphael said, nearly impatient. "If you can believe it, we're actually going sideways right now. Pewter is that way." Raphael pointed north to illustrate.

Felix's expression became thoughtful with a 'hm'. "You're absolutely sure you know where you're going?"

The impatience broke out. "Yes, Felix! Here, look." He rummaged in his bag, digging for his compass; it was always at the bottom. He usually never needed it. If he'd noted the sun at least once that day, he could just work from there. As usual, the compass confirmed his working out. "Canopy's too thick to see the sun, but look."

Felix looked unsure, worried as usual. "I… I guess it's the best we got!"

"Then let's go!" Raphael immediately turned to lead them back along the path. He winced; he'd momentarily forgotten his own tiredness, and his limbs protested at being made to jog after his sprint. But the thought of Mal and Emily, who could have gone past the point they'd split, lost—it made Raphael push even harder.

And for the first time so far, Raphael was happy to hear a certain voice.

"Felix is there," Sonia said.

As Raphael and Felix cleared the trees, they could see Mal immediately perking up. Raphael turned to Felix, grinning, newly elated at the relief of seeing his best friend again. "I told you this was where we lost them!"

Felix grinned, appropriately sheepish for doubting him. "I don't know how you kept track of that, but you did." He turned his smile at Sonia and Mal. "What a relief to see you guys!"

Raphael happiness in finding Mal ebbed slightly as he realised that he'd only found one of his friends. "So Emily didn't fall down here with you guys?" He knew the answer already, but...

Mal shook his head, and with that, all hopes were sunk. "She was to our right, where there were less bushes. She would have seen the ditch and been able to avoid it, or even jump over, depending on how athletic she was."

Raphael had seen her jump. Hopefully that meant that she was fine. The chance of the Beedrill doing enough damage to hurt her was tiny, and she had that Houndoom with her…

Though Sonia was probably just burning up with glee now that Emily had left. He glanced at her, but her face betrayed nothing.

"I don't suppose you two found out whatever was making the Beedrill so angry?" Felix's curious voice interrupted Raphael's thoughts. "They were raging about something they called a 'source' when they went after us. No talk of trespassers, vandals, et cetera, so it's safe to say we didn't disturb their territory."

Raphael's thoughts resumed right where they'd left off, expression darkening. "Could a powerful Psychic be the source?"

"Oh, no you don't," Sonia immediately responded with a glare. "You are not going to try blaming every little setback on me."

Felix laughed awkwardly, as if trying to diffuse the tension. "They can sense Psychics when extremely close by due to auric response, but to my knowledge they've never been any reports of them seeking out Psychics or Psychic-Types to attack them specifically because they were Psychic."

"It was a theory," Raphael responded, snippy.

Felix tried laughing again. "Never mind! How about we keep walking? I, for one, want to get to Pewter and I don't want us to just wait around to get attacked by Beedrill."

Raphael's bad mood probably bled into his manner as he impatiently directed them back onto the path. He tried to distract himself by picking leaves from his hair and exulting about how great Felix was in getting the Beedrill distracted. When Mal, in turn, described Sonia saving him with a telekinetic shield, Raphael was caught in the awkward position of having his emotions trying to justify themselves to themselves.

Raphael was still trying to untie the mess when Sonia's voice once again cut him off from something.

"I can't hear them."

They all stopped, turning to her.

She looked… _Horrified_.

It was the most expressive he'd ever seen her.

"I can't hear them," she repeated, a whisper.

Raphael stared at her in confusion, confusion morphing into horror as she started to breathe faster and faster. Raphael stumbled back as her expression seemed to split in pain.

 _What the fu—_

Sonia screamed.

As if it was a cue, Raphael's sudden heart attack by jump scare was followed with a loud "Now!"

 _That voice—_

People dropped from the trees, and Raphael's brain time travelled back to Viridian Forest.

 _It's them._

Before Raphael could so much as blink a telekinetic wave caught him up and slammed him into a tree, knocking the wind out of him and making his jaw clatter.

Raphael couldn't see Sola or Lune—he could feel the heat of Mal beside him as the boy wheezed, and Raphael struggled reflexively as some kind of invisible wall held him to the tree. He thrashed his head, and for what felt like the thousandth time that day his body was clawed at with panic, to the point where the emotion itself felt tired as it scrabbled exhaustedly at him. He finally spotted them, his Eevee, twitching and paralysed as a familiar Elekid drew its arms away from them. Sonia had been flung back so hard her bag had been thrown from her shoulders, hitting the ground in a way which looked far too hard for the small frame of the Psychic girl. She'd landed far away, and Raphael's brain finally caught up to him.

 _They're separating her. Felix is up here too—they're separating her again—_

Fred and Grant were ready and waiting to grab her. They dragged her up before it looked like she'd even registered their presence.

And just as if she had to rub it in, Odette didn't just stroll in. She outright popped into existence in front of Sonia, just above the ground so she landed with a bounce. "That was too easy! Sonia, dear, you could at least put up a fight." She grinned, her tone reproachful, and Raphael's thrashing increased.

"Easy indeed."

 _Janette._

Why? He had to run into her again—but he was trapped like this?! Damn this! Damn it, damn it, damn it, dammitdammitdammitdammit—

Fred and Grant forced Sonia forward. Sonia's expression broke into shock, her eyes flying wide, before Janette pressed some kind of mask to Sonia's face.

Sonia's eyes fluttered closed and her body slumped.

Raphael froze, feeling the echo of the blood pounding in his body. It was starting to get all numb. Panic was being replaced by its more insidious cousin; fear.

Sonia had saved them last time.

She couldn't save them now.

They were trapped.

It was unstoppable, now.

There was nothing.

Nothing.

He could do nothing.

They'd failed.

He'd failed.

Raphael was numb as Odette swivelled around to face them, hair swirling around her. "Sorry boys; you're just not as interesting as Sonia, so we'll be calling off our little game with you. But!" She raised a finger, grinning. "We're going to take extra good care of Sonia, don't you boys worry! I'll open up her mind, learn all her little secrets, then put her back together just right so she loves Team Rocket forever!"

Raphael was finding breathing substantially harder. And it wasn't the telekinetic barrier. Beside him, Mal was positively vibrating. Felix squeaked.

Odette giggled at them, tilting her head back and flapping her hand at them. The laughter took over her whole body with mania, making her shake and react like a crazed cartoon character.

"We need to be going, Odette," Janette said, snapping through the mania.

"But I'm having fun!" Odette whined, heaving her whole body for emphasis.

"We need to go." There was a level of urgency in the younger woman's voice that seemed to snap Odette out of it.

The mania was gone, now. She straightened, eerily still and proper, even as her voice jarred with its cutesy tone. "Aww, okay…" Her body morphed again as she skipped back to the rest of the group.

She tapped Janette on the shoulder, and they were gone.

Just gone. Just like that.

Just as quickly as they'd come.

Just as quickly as Raphael had gone from fine to failing.

The shock of seeing it left Raphael out of step with what was happening. The next thing he knew was his face shmooshing into the ground.

Raphael spat out dirt as he pushed himself onto all fours, trembling. He had to… He couldn't think about it too much. He had to find something to do. He needed to distract himself. No—Sola, Lune. Had to think about them.

He pulled himself over the them, to their twitching bodies. It was a hard paralysis, like an extreme overloading. Raphael fumbled for their pulses, but it took him ages to try and work out numbers. He gave up. He fumbled in his pack and found a carton of mildly squished Cheri Berries, digging two out and coaxing them into Sola and Lune.

Sola and Lune weren't twitching any more. They were fine. He could relax now, he could breathe. His friends were fine. Things were good now. They were fine—

 _No. No one's fine. Nothing is fine. Nothing is fucking fine._

Raphael stood and marched over to the thick tree they'd been pressed to. Pain thudded through his wrist and tore at the skin of his knuckles, but he didn't care. He needed that punch.

 _Second time now. Second time Janette beat me. Second time that Arceus-awful witch Odette beat all of us. Failed. Failed twice now. Failed. Failed. Failed failed failed failed failedfailedfailedfailedfailedfailedfailed—_

A sob. Felix was sobbing, kneeling hunched and broken over Cascade's body even as Cascade nuzzled his cheek. He'd said something. Raphael hadn't heard him at all.

The breeder's sobs twisted something. Raphael let his hand fall away from the bark, the ache sinking into a dull pounding.

He hadn't been able to stop himself failing just then. He could stop himself failing Felix now.

He put his aching hand on Felix's shoulder, staying quiet as Felix cried it out.

Sonia was gone. She was gone. Team Rocket had taken her.

 _Failed_.


End file.
